NEW: Worcester Youth Soccer Teams Sweep Central Mass Championships

Monday, June 18, 2012

GoLocalWorcester Sports Team

Antonio Corrales dumping water on his coach and father Alex Corrales after his team's U12 Central Mass soccer title.

The Worcester Youth Soccer League (WYSL) dominated the Central Mass championships, with all five teams winning titles in their respective age brackets.

With their wins, Worcester's U12 boys, U12 girls, U16 boys (divisions 1 and 2), and U19 boys will all move on to represent Central Mass in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC).

"For a league to be able to have one team qualify for MTOC is impressive, but for five teams to qualify in one year is unheard of and quite an achievement," Alex Corrales, WYSL's President said. "It's a testament to the hard work and commitment of our coaches, players, parents and volunteers."

Corrales also coaches the Division 1 U12 boys team, and saw his squad defeat rival Shrewsbury 3-2 on a Kyle Stewart goal with three minutes left. The U12 team rolled through their Central Mass season undefeated, and has won 34 of their last 35 games.

Coach Jon Jalbert and his U12 girls jumping for joy after winning the Central Mass championship.

The Division 2 U12 girls team, led by coaches Jon Jalbert and Scott Ober, became the first Worcester girls team to win a Central Mass title in 18 years. The overtime victory over Holden was the team's 20th consecutive win.

"What a truly amazing story," Jalbert said. "I am just thrilled to have been a part of it with these girls."

In the U16 level, Worcester took home titles in both Division 1 and Division 2. The Division 1 boys gutted out a 1-0 victory over Webster to give coach Joe Kania and his squad a second consecutive Central Mass Championship.

The Division 2 boys, led by coach Jim Burns, also won their second straight Central Mass crown, and did so with a dominating 4-0 win over Mendon-Upton. The win capped an undefeated season for the boys.

The U19 boys with coach Chris Bailey.

"Qualifying for the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions once is extremely difficult," Corrales said. "But for these two teams to qualify in back-to-back years is truly unbelievable."

The Division 1 U19 boys finished things off with a 4-2 win over Auburn to earn their first Central Mass Championship and complete an undefeated season. The boys, led by coach Chris Bailey, received offensive boosts from Simon Appiah and Kristen Albarracin in their convincing victory.

The championships marked the culmination of an incredibly successful spring season in Central Mass for Worcester. The WYSL sent a record 12 teams to the playoffs, with the five teams listed above qualifying for Central Mass title game appearances. The MTOC will take place in Lancaster from June 22nd to the 24th. For more information, click here.