THE SEACOAST UNITED U19 team played in the National Under 19 Boys Premier Soccer Championship in Westfield, Ind., recently. Seacoast United won the tournament, downing the Eastern FC Spurs from New York, 3-1 in the final. The squad went undefeated in the tourney, scoring nine goals and allowing just two. Coached by Adrian Dubois, Seacoast United defeated One7 Academy (2-1), Elite SC Boys (3-0) and CSA Impact (1-0) on the way to the final. Against Eastern, Tyler Welch had two goals for Seacoast United, with Michael Tahiru adding a goal and an assist, and Michael Wildes an assist.
This victory followed up on a successful campaign for their U17 boys team in Colorado last July.
The team was led by St. Joseph College head coach Adrian Dubois, which won all four games enroute to the title by scoring nine goals and giving up just two.
They opened against One7 Academy from North Carolina at the Grand Park complex in sweltering heat and stifling humidity. Despite finding themselves a goal behind after just three minutes, goals by Tyler Welch and Michael Tahiru had them in the lead before halftime, and that score stood until the final whistle.
The next day proved to be hot and humid as well, and Seacoast United took to the field against Elite SC Boys Premier from Illinois. This time Seacoast started with much more authority and Welch soon had his team in front. Seacoast United continued to pile on the pressure and a spectacular goal from Welch gave Seacoast a 2-0 lead at the half. Little changed after the restart and their dominance was further rewarded 10 minutes from the end when Tahiru scored his second goal of the tournament en route to a 3-0 win.
The final group game was against CSA Impact from Ohio. This game was close throughout, with Welch netting his fourth goal of the tournament for a 1-0 victory.
Being 3-0 sent Seacoast United to the title game this past Monday against Eastern FC, the New York state champion from Westchester, N.Y.
The final kicked off in front of a good crown of partisan spectators representing both teams, and only three minutes after the kick off Eastern was ahead.
However, they had not yet seen the best of the confident Maine team and just four minutes later it was Welch who again stepped up following a poor clearance from the New York keeper. Welch pounced on the mistake, controlled the ball smoothly 30 yards from goal and accelerated away from the defenders before powering home a shot into the roof of the net.
In the 45th minute, Tahiru put Seacoast ahead for good when he tapped home a shot from close range for his third goal of the championships.
Eastern battled hard in the second half but failed to find a way past Seacoast United goaltender Chris Franklin. The game was finally settled once and for all after a great team goal in which several players combined before Travis Nadeau of Mt. Ararat selflessly gave the ball to Tahiru in the center of the goal. He in turn passed to Welch, who wrapped up the game with a third and final goal, his sixth, setting off scenes of jubilation among the Seacoast players and fans.
The U18/19 squad of Seacoast United players are Franklin of Scarborough, Jack Bourassa of Bangor, Hayden Elwell of Maranacook, Jarred Greenleaf of Scarborough, Quinn Molloy of Greely, Jack Moore of Messalonskee, Spencer Pettingill of Scarborough, Nadeau of Mt. Ararat, Christian Quinones of Hebron Academy, Cole Smith of Messalonskee, Tyler Swanbeck and Tahiru of Hebron Academy, Jake Warn of Winslow, Colin Waterman of Bangor, Welch of Bangor Christian and Michael Wildes of Winslow.
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