EASTERN EXPRESS: Members of Princeton FC’s Barcelona 2006 team celebrate after they won the US Youth Soccer (USYS) Eastern Presidents Cup Regional in Barboursville, W. Va., last week. PFC defeated the Beadling SC 2006 Boys South Elite 2-0 in the final on June 21. The squad will now compete in the US Youth Soccer (USYS) National Presidents Cup tournament in Greensboro, N.C., from July 7-10. The team includes Jacob Battoglia, Azariah Breitman, Zach Brunell, Brian Donis, Paras Goswami, Connor Hewitt, Izayah Huynh, Kyle Ingersoll, Zeb Jerdonek, Matthew Kim, Chris Lee, Ashwin Lobo, Felipe Matar Grandi, Nick Matese, Francis Savard, Archie Smith, Brandon Urias, Calvin Hopkins, and Liam Kennedy. (Photo provided courtesy of PFC)

By Bill Alden

Heading into the US Youth Soccer (USYS) Eastern Presidents Cup Regional in Barboursville, W. Va., last week, Milen Nikolov believed that his Princeton FC’s Barcelona 2006 team could outlast the competition.

“The No. 1 thing for me is for them to stay healthy, to have no injuries, and keep them fresh,” said PFC Barcelona head coach Nikolov looking ahead to the competition. “If we want to go all the way, this is five consecutive days.”

Staying strong and showing skill at both ends of the pitch, PFC Barcelona went all the way, going 4-0 on the way to the title, topping Beadling SC 2006 Boys South Elite (Pa.) 2-0 in the final.

The victory culminated a dominant run which saw PFC Barcelona outscore its foes 12-0 in open play. The squad will now compete in the US Youth Soccer (USYS) National Presidents Cup tournament in Greensboro, N.C., from July 7-10.

Starting the regional tournament with a bang, PFC Barcelona endured a four-hour lightning delay to defeat Coppermine SC 4-0 in the first game of group play as Azariah Breitman tallied two goals with Archie Smith and Zeb Jerdonek adding one.

In its second group game, PFC Barcelona rolled to a 6-0 win over Beadling SC North (Pa.). Felipe Matar Grandi led the way with a hat trick which came in the space of 11 minutes in the first half. Jerdonek, Breitman, and Antony Fitch added the other goals in the victory.

Advancing to the semifinals, PFC Barcelona found itself in a defensive struggle with FC Montco (Pa.). The foes played to a scoreless draw through regulation and overtime. The game went to penalty kicks and PFC Barcelona prevailed 3-1 in the shootout as Nick Matese, Kyle Ingersoll, and Matar Grandi found the back of the net. Zach Brunell stepped up in goal, making two saves on PKs.

Facing Beadling SC 2006 Boys South Elite (Pa.) in the final on June 21, PFC Barcelona jumped out to a 2-0 lead on early goals by Matthew Kim and Brandon Arias. From there, the defense held the fort as the PFC side prevailed 2-0 to win the regional and punch its ticket to the nationals.