Our 2003 League 1 Reserve Boys played in the Disney Boys Soccer Showcase last week.

The players played against some strong competition including the state champions of Alabama, who they beat 5-1 and the state finalists from Pennsylvania who they beat 2-1. After winning all 3 of their games in the group stage, and scoring 9 goals and conceding only 3, the final game was against the Ohio State Cup semi finalists; Cincinnati United.  After dominating the first half, the players could only find the net once even though they created many chances.  The players remained extremely confident going into the 2nd half, although the opposition had other ideas and fought back using speed and physical play along with lots of long balls to stretch our shape making the players work that much harder.  The boys were not as dominant as they were in the first half, but they continued to battle hard and created several chances to score. In the end, it was Cincinnati that found the net early in the 2nd half which forced the game into penalties.  Both teams were very solid in the shootout, but in the end, we ended up losing 5-4 on penalties.

Assistant Coach Rob Stirling added:
“Although the players were very disappointed after the match, the coaches expressed how proud we were of each and every player, not just for the final match, but during the entire time we were there.  They showcased themselves extremely well and impressed a number of University coaches who during matches were asking parents and others for more information about our team. Several players were identified and our team overall was noticed by many in the crowd.  As always the players do the work on the pitch, but without our parents, it would be hard for the players to be there.  We could not have asked for better support from our parents and want them to know how grateful Rush Canada is to have such a supportive group behind the boys!”

Congratulations gentleman for an impressive showing at your first Disney Showcase. Next year we raise the bar one more step!