West Seattle’s newest state-champion team is the WS Red Bulls boys’ U11 team from the West Seattle Soccer Club! Last month, we shared the news that the team had won the District 3 championship – in a final that included another WSSC team. This past weekend, they won it all – James Ross shares the photos and this report:

On Saturday, the WS Red Bulls ’04 U11 boys soccer team from the West Seattle Soccer Club won both the semi-final and the Championship game in the Washington Youth Soccer Association Recreational Cup held at the Starfire Sports Complex. These boys are bringing the WYSA Rec Cup to West Seattle as 2015 STATE CHAMPIONS!!!

Winning the Rec Cup State Championship is the culmination of a dominating year for the Red Bulls, with the team having amassed 20 wins and no losses (scoring 91 goals and allowing only 6!) during the Fall season. In the WYSA State tournament, the Red Bulls stepped up their play and went 7-0, scoring 34 goals and allowing only 1 while facing the state’s best teams!

The semi-final game was a very tight match, with the Red Bulls facing off against the SC Nomads from Vancouver, WA (District 5). The only goal came late in the game when a handball penalty awarded the RB’s with a free kick that found the back of the net, allowing the team to escape with a 1-0 victory. In the championship game, the Red Bulls matched up against the South Beach Wildcats from Westport (District 7). The Red Bulls wasted no time getting on the board early in the first minute. The RB defense remained dominate by shutting down all attacks while the midfielders and forwards kept pressure on the Nomads’ defense the entire game on the way to a 3-0 victory.

As a team parent, I can’t express how incredibly proud I am of these young men. All of the early Sunday morning training sessions and late practices, sometimes in the dark, rain and wind, really tested their commitment (and mine!)… but they were fueled by a vision that Coach Eric had for them… that these boys had the chance to come together as a team, dedicate themselves, and create something special. He promised them a memory that they could share for the rest of their lives. Watching this group raise the Cup while beaming with pride was proof that the promise had been fulfilled!

Thanks go out to Coach Eric, Coach Russ and Coach Scott for growing these boys both as teammates and as individuals, to the other parents that sacrificed their evenings and weekends to the vision… and to the West Seattle Soccer Club for providing an outstanding opportunity for kids to learn and excel in the beautiful game!

CONGRATULATIONS, RED BULLS!!!

The West Seattle Red Bulls consist of:

#2 Roman Centioli – Defense
#3 Jameson Yount – Defense
#4 Jack Nishimoto – Defense
#5 Charles Twombley – Forward
#6 Preston Ross – Defense
#7 Robbie Foisy – Mid Field
#8 Payton Kyle – Mid Field
#9 Dylan Roberts – Forward
#10 Kai Perala – Mid Field
#11 Aaron Johnson – Defense
#12 Jake Beardemphl – Mid Field
#13 P.J. Barton – Mid Field
#14 Kaeden Quinn – Forward
#15 Chase Clifton – Goal Keeper

Head Coach – Eric Beardemphl
Asst. Coach – Russ Nishimoto
Asst. Coach – Scott Roberts