Boca Jrs 90 Girls Crowned National Champions

Greensboro, NC -- For the second time in three years the Capital Athletic Boca Jrs 90 girls have won a US Club National Championship. On Tuesday Boca defeated NFC Tabagators 5-1 in the finals to win US Club National Cup V and have their name engraved on The Doug Hamilton Memorial Cup.

In the national championship game forward Brynne Konkel exploded for four goals in the first half to lead Boca to victory. It only took Konkel 78 seconds to get her team on the scoreboard when she took a perfectly placed pass from left back Brooke Harrison, beat a defender, and ripped the ball into the upper corner of the near post.

Four minutes later Konkel was at it again. This time forward Brianna Scales crossed the ball to midfielder Kelsey Costan who touched the ball to Konkel for the finish. Tabagators made the score 2-1 when they converted a free kick in the 30th minute. However, just before the half Boca bounced back with two goals in the final 90 seconds of the period. Midfielder Katie Kinney and Scales combined to assist Konkel in the 38th minute and forward Alexia Poon crossed the ball to Konkel from the left flank in the 40th minute to give Boca a 4-1 advantage going into halftime.

Boca continued to press the attack in the second half and struck for the final goal of the match in the 58th minute. Midfielder Brittani Lum took a free kick from 40 yards and hit it off the crossbar. C ostan followed the shot and converted for a 5-1 advantage.

In addition to an impressive attack Boca was truly dominating on defense in the final game and throughout the entire tournament. They only gave up 3 goals while they scored 17. Goalkeepers Millie Brown and Myia Williams combined for the victory in the finals.

In the Semi-Finals Capital Athletic was challenged by the Hibernian Crush from New Jersey. Boca previaled 3-1 with all of the goals coming in the first half. Four minutes into the match Boca scored when Poon hit a perfectly placed diagonal pass to Scales who went one-on-one with the goalkeeper and beat her. Hibernian tied the score 15 minutes later. However, Boca took the lead again when Harrison made a 50-yard run from her left back position beating four defenders and driving a cross to Konkel who flicked the ball into the goal at the back post. Boca scored again just before the end of the half on a long free kick from Lum. Boca received an oustanding defensive effort from Brown in the goal as well as defenders Abby Puente, Sasha Lucyga, Molly Klier and Harrison.

The team qualified for the semi-finals by winning Group 1 with nine points. Boca opened the competition against the World Class Soccer Club on Saturday morning. After a flury of scoring opportunities for Boca in the opening moments of the match they finally got on the scoreboard in the 7th minute when Harrison crossed a ball to the back post which Konkel headed into the goal. In the second half Harrison was involved in the attack again when she personally dribble four players, shot the ball, recovered the rebound, beat another defender, and shot the ball again this time scoring at the back post. Boca won the game 2-0.

The second match in Group 1 was again the rival Tabagators. It was the Tabagators that knocked Boca out of the 2005 National Cup IV. With payback on their minds Boca battled the Tabagators to a scoreless draw in the first half thanks to some outstanding saves by Brown in the goal. However, early in the second half Harrison converted her second assist of the tournament when she found Konkel at the back post. Konkel nailed a half-volley into the upper corner of the goal for the 1-0 lead. Tabagators fought back with less than 15 minutes remaining in the match on a free kick from 19 yards. Not to be denied Boca pressed forward again and in the final minutes of the game Harrison found Konkel with a diagonal pass. Konkel beat a defender pass the ball to Scales at the back door. Scales blasted the ball into the next from four yards for the 2-1 victory.

The final match of group play was an impressive effort both offensively and defensively. Boca prevailed 5-0. The shutout was due to a strong defensive effort and two amazing saves by Williams in the goal. Midfielder Laura Nasseri opened the scoring with a blast into the upper corner of the far post from 25 yards out in the 7th minute. Two minutes later Kinney assisted Konkel for a goal. Then with nine minutes remaining in the half, Klier took a left-footed free kick and nailed it. In the second half Costan combined with Elle Porter for a goal and Scales combined with Poon for another as Boca rolled to the win.