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Boys U13 United Elite reach finals at top fall tournament in the country

By Cleveland United Soccer, 04/17/16, 7:15PM EDT

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The boys got off to a fast start by defeating highly regarded Western United from Massachusetts by the score of 2-1.  Strong defensive play from Connor Hain and Steven Samuelson to go with a few big time saves from goalkeeper Ryan Miller allowed the team to hang on to the victory.  Later in the afternoon the boys took on the Manhattan Fury from New York City and found themselves trailing 2-1 with 1 minute to go before the half.  Gavin Csiszar provided a dramatic equalizer right before the half with a left footer from 25 yards that found the upper 90 and swung the momentum back to United.  The second half was all United, as Stefan Dobrijevic and Noah Leemaster found the net in a very intense outing.
 
After drawing 1-1 in their 3rd match with the then #1 ranked team in the country, Bethesda SC Blue out of Maryland, the boys reached the championship game.  In the finals the squad took on TSF Academy out of New Jersey.  TSF was not an unfamiliar foe, as the boys had a record of 1-1-1 against TSF at past tournaments. In a very physical outing that saw multiple fouls and cautions given out to our opponents, the boys surrendered a goal late in the second half before giving up 1 more with less than a minute to go on a counter attack with everyone pushed forward.  Losing 2-0 and being awarded Finalist Medals for the second time this fall was an accomplishment not to be taken lightly and has earned the boys many invites to some of the top tournaments across the country.