Submitted photo
Pictured above is the third-place trophy that the Lake United Boys won during the National Championship Challenge Tour that took place in Orlando, Fla. The tournament took place from July 26-28, and members of the team include Zach Deibel, Anthony Alberti, Keegan Harris, Robert Christopher Colonius, Hunter Taylor, Johnathon Baugh and coach John Harris.
As they arrived for the Challenge 3v3 Soccer Series Nationals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports fields in Orlando, the ‘Lake United Boys’ expected some top notch competition. They were not disappointed. During pool play, they faced last year’s Nationals Champion runners-up (Gionni Rossi) and played a back and forth game, with the game’s outcome hinging on a controversial goal-box which gave Gionni Rossi the advantage and which they held on to despite a spirited fight by the Lake United Boys.
They also faced last year’s Nationals champions (Marcos Island Sharks) in a game that saw the lead swap several times early in the match. In the later stages of the game, the Sharks got a couple break away goals to pull away for the win 9-6. The Lake United Boys won their other 2 pool games by scores of 4-3 and 6-4 in closely contested games in which they came from behind late to win by applying heavy pressure and causing mistakes. These victories gave them a 2-2 pool record and propelled them into the semi-finals.
As they prepared for the semis, the Lake Boys found themselves once again facing the Sharks. In an evenly played game, the Lake boys found their shots narrowly missing their mark, while the Sharks capitalized on their opportunities to win 7-0.
This left Lake United relegated to the 3rd place game, but facing the CFC Tigers, a veteran team returning to the Nationals for the third year in a row. This time the Lake Boys were not to be denied. Despite giving up the opening goal, they thoroughly dominated the Tigers en route a 5-1 win and a much deserved and earned 3rd place finish at the Challenge Series 3v3 Nationals.
For the complete article, see the Weekend print edition of The County Record, or view http://digital.laclederecord.com/ online.
