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DCU U14 Boys Soccer Make Elite 8; Finish 3rd at State!

Congratulations DCU U14 Red Boys for putting on such a strong showing at State!

Capping off a very successful season under Coach Jerry Yarbrough, the Dawson County United U14 Red Boys Soccer team advanced to the elite 8 and competed this past weekend in the State Finals held in Columbus, GA.

The DCU Boys earned a spot in the Elite 8 by going undefeated in district play in a 3 game round-robin format that featured the best teams in our region. On the final day of district play, Dawson County tied the GSA Renegades, in a very tight back-and-forth dual. The tie earned GSA Renegades the district title by virtue of cumulative points allowed, but DCU’s undefeated record earned them on of the 2 open wild cards available for state finals.

A 3 game round-robin format was the format also used to decide the State Champion at the Elite 8. In the Elite 8 competition, DCU earned a rematch with GSA Renegades and erased any disappointment that may have been lingering from their district result by posting a huge 1-0 victory. The victory was a confidence boost for the boys. DCU also posted a very convincing 5-0 victory over Hinesville Gators. The only disappointment of the campaign came in a loss the eventual state champs, SCY Portugal.

In a very evenly played match, DCU and SCY Portugal looked destined to end deadlocked at a 0-0 tie. Scoring chances were difficult to come by for either team, but in the later stages of the match, NAME earned a 1-0 victory over the DCU U14 Red Boys off of a goal scored from a deflected corner kick. It was DCU’s first loss and only loss in the competition, but it was enough to crown NAME as state champs and place DCU in third.  A strong result for a first year team hailing from a club that is only 2 years old.

“The entire club is really proud of the U14 boys”, said DCU Club President Anton Sieber. “We have all seen them go grow tremendously over the past year. They have worked hard and they are all turning into quality soccer players.” Head Coach Jerry Yarbrough added, “the boys worked harder than they have ever worked at anything before. They’ve put in the work and deserve a lot of praise for what they have accomplished.