The SOCA U15 and U17 Lightning squads played through their groups to reach the championship matches in their respective divisions at the Columbus Day Tournament in Virginia Beach. The U15 Lightning faced AC Klinnsmann (Norfolk, VA), Roanoke Star Elite, and the Olney BGC Flames (Olney, MD). Meanwhile the U17 Lightning played VCCL rivals Beach FC and the Richmond Strikers.
    The 15’s opened the tournament with a comprehensive 4-0 win over AC Klinsmann before matching up with VCCL foe Roanoke Star. SOCA coolly finished off a workman-like buildup with four minutes remaining to give the Lightning the 1-0 win, avenging their earlier untimely exit from the VYSA State Cup competition at the hands of the Star.
    The win over their Roanoke rival, like removing a thorn from their proverbial paws, propelled the locals to play some of the most attractive soccer of the season, posting a complete victory, 3-0, over the Olney Flames.
    The championship final pitted the Lightning against another VCCL opponent, Beach FC. Despite controlling the run of play for much of the game, SOCA conceded their lone goal of the tournament in overtime and bowed gracefully.
    In summarizing the team’s performance Coach Bill Koeppen said, “I’m really proud of the effort from all the guys this weekend. Everyone made a sizable contribution and we looked consistently the best team on the field.”
    The U17 Lightning played in what some might consider a virtual league cup by facing only VCCL opponents. While opening well with a resounding 4-2 win over the Richmond Strikers, the 17’s could not hold serve in the second match of the day after only a 90 minutes respite between games. SOCA played valiantly but succumbed to well-rested Beach FC side that benefited from a six hour rest prior to kick-off against the boys from Charlottesville.
    Even with the loss, SOCA advanced to the semi-finals to play FC Richmond, another VCCL rival. The Lightning won a close, quality match1-0 and moved on to the final where they faced the Virginia Rush.
    The final proved to be a challenge for the Lightning as the Rush scored two goals forcing SOCA into an uphill climb. The SOCA squad showered the Rush goal with pressure for most of the game, but their comeback bid fell just short in a 3-2 loss.
    Coach Zane Hill praised his team’s weekend performance, “We responded well to adversity and played with the hearts of champions. Every game should be a learning experience and I believe we learned a lot about ourselves. The team’s performance should prove to galvanize our resolve moving forward.”