Rutgers Women's Soccer Coaches Lead PDA To ECNL Final Four
Jun 04 | Women's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (June 4, 2010) – After hosting the PDA Memorial Day Tournament, Rutgers women’s soccer associate head coach Mike O’Neill and assistant coach Meghan Ryan led theU16 PDA Charge to a berth in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Final Four. The Charge made a run over the holiday weekend to earn a spot in Seattle, Wash. July 15-18.
“The thing I’m most proud of is the good soccer that was played to earn (the title and the Final Four berth),” said Coach O’Neill. “The girls are 22-strong. They are committed to each other and that is the reason for their success. The team is striving for excellence. Their success is a result of that commitment to excellence.”
The ECNL is a national youth soccer league founded in 2009 for U15, U16 and U17 girls' teams for the purpose of providing the highest level of competition and the best developmental environment for American female youth soccer players, as well as an identification and development program, which will seek to include players in US Soccer's National Teams.
In the PDA Showcase, the Charge upended West Coast FC (1-0) in game one and then handily defeated Sereno SC (5-1) and Pleasanton Rage (4-0). The U17 PDA Tsunami finished first in the ECNL standings and are led by former Rutgers soccer player and assistant coach, Mike Gould.
“From the standpoint of a college coach (the ECNL) has been fantastic,” said Rutgers head coach Glenn Crooks. “Teams were competing for a Final Four spot in the ECNL Nationals and the competition was stimulating while providing coaches a chance to evaluate elite players. I know a lot of college coaches feel the same way in terms of their recruiting.
“To have an ECNL event at Rutgers shared with the PDA, it was simply a great weekend for our program. The ECNL has teams from every region of the country. We ran tours all day Friday and most of the day Monday, so a lot of families had the opportunity to see the beautiful Rutgers campus and our facilities.”
O’Neill, Ryan and the Charge won the New Jersey State Cup Championship title on Sunday, May 23 after PDA defeated Pittsgrove 3-1 in overtime to capture the championship in Holmdel. It was one of four PDA teams to win a state title on the day but the weekend itself provided a showcase of some of the top players and coaches, not only in the state, but in the country.
“At the State Cup Final Four weekend, the teams were all so well-coached,” said Crooks. “All the coaches involved in the semifinal matches deserve to be recognized. These coaches represent some of the best soccer minds in the state and have proven that they know how to effectively get their message across to their players. Look at the list of coaches – they are all great representatives of youth soccer in New Jersey,”
Among the coaches and teams that competed for the New Jersey State Cup are:
Tom Anderson and Glenn Nellins (PDA Fire U18)
Kazbek Tambi (World Class)
Mike Gould (PDA Tsunami)
Jordan Raper (Montclair Thunderbolts)
Michael O’Neill and Meghan Ryan (PDA Charge)
Fabian Vega (Pittsgrove)
John Jenks (Mt. Laurel Crush)
Ashley Hammond (Soccer Domain)
Erwin van Bennekom (Real New Jersey)
Seth Korman and Larry Hart (PDA Celtic)
Dan Madsen (Wall Wombats)
Neil Condon (Cherry Hill Power)
Mike Lyons (Twin County)
