Ocean City FC provided 4 champions to the 2012 Maps Caps Classic tournament held at Fort Dix, NJ. The U11, U13 and U14 Girls were victorious alongside the U11 Boys.

The youngest of the Ocean City FC teams, U9 Girls, coached by Steve Thurlby got off to a wonderful start with an 8-1 win over SDFC Fury but were brought back down to earth with a 2-0 loss to a very good Sky Blue Select team. On the Sunday and all the craziness that went with it the girls showed incredible heart and effort as they lost 2-1 to eventual runners up Soccer Xperience SX Dynamos. This put them into the playoff game against JDI Hotspurs in which they put together the great effort, understanding and ability to come out as 3-1 winners.

Coach Steve wanted to tell us how proud he was of the players, "Over this weekend I have really seen the intensity and effort levels really pick up. They always want the ball and will work so hard to win it back if the opponents have it. This is great to see. The girls also started using the ball a bit better with their decision making improving with every game. Sometimes I forget how many U8 players we have on the team as they all blend together so well and all work their socks off"

The U10 Boys had their two teams in the same standings and were destined to meet in the playoff rounds. Dan Ash’s U10 Boys got off to the best start with a 7-2 win over Roackaway Twp Beckenbauer and then a 2-0 victory over Fox Madrid. Sunday saw them lose a very tight match 3-2 to UK Elite Davidson from Maryland. Coach Jonny’s U10 Boys had the exact opposite start with a tough 6-1 loss to eventual winners SDFC Tigers but recovered to beat Rockaway Twp Bergkamp 7-1 showing the great team spirit that has developed over the summer. The Sunday saw them beat UK Elite 3-1 and set up a playoff game that saw Ocean City FC vs Ocean City FC. To the players this was probably more important and fun than any final. Coach Dans team ended up winning 6-2 as the long range fire power was the difference.

Coach Dan said to us, "I am delighted to see how these kids progressed and how well they played throughout the whole summer. They are a wonderful group of boys who love soccer and I hope that they always will"

Coach Jonny let us know, "Regardless of the results, win or loss, the boys always showed great character and willingnes to improve their game. This is great for me as I can see the subtle developments and habits in their game that will help them going forward playing the beautiful game"

The U11 Boys coached by Terry Gibbs won their Maps Caps Classic tournament. With big wins along the way with many different goal scorers including a 6-0 win over UK Elite Haddonfield and 5-0 against United Soccer Academy Crew to complete the Saturday. Sunday started in much the same vein as they beat Union SC Pumas 4-1 to put them into the final. In the final they faced USCFA Keegans and won 6-0 to put a marvellous cap on a fantastic weekend and a great summer.

Coach Terry was away with the Nor’easters in Carolina and missed the tournament but was still beaming with pride, "It is great that they were rewarded after a tough summer. They have learned a lot and it will show come the Fall season when they are back with their outh Jersey League teams. I am very happy that the goals were shared around and it shows that we are not a one player team. I wish them luck in their Fall and Spring seasons and hope to see them again in 2013"
 

The U11 Girls are coached by Dan Ash and he collected the first of his two winners medals with these young players. It was won with 4 very confident performances. On the Saturday the beat Philadelphia Fever 3-1 before beating Sky Blue Select 4-0. They booked their final spot with a 3-0 win over Chelsea Metro and then disposed of Morris United Magic 4-2 to pick up a set of winners medals.

Coach Dan was very busy at the tournament but happy to tell us about his team, "These girls have got better and better all summer, both as a team and indivdually. This makes me very happy as a coach. They are a wonderful group of girls and this is just rewards for the hard work they have put in this summer."
 

The U12 Boys coached by Jonny Eldridge had a tough weekend in terms of results but an important time in terms of experience. A 6-1 defeat to UK Elite Lutherville and 6-0 loss to Staten Island Gunners was followed up by a 4-2 loss to JDI Wolves. The boys never lost heart and kept trying to play soccer the right way, something that will help them going forward.

Coach Jonny told us, "If you just look at the results you would be rightly disappointed. However, we look at the long-term development of the players and it is about getting them into good habits. This has started but we were often beaten by sheer athleticism and size and in youth soccer that will generally beat good soccer playing teams"
 

The U12 Girls were coming off the back of two tournament wins but were slightly humbled as they attempted the first ever Ocean City FC 3-peat. After losing their first game 1-0 against eventual winners TRFC Thrill they woke up to beat East Islip Fury 3-0. The Sunday saw them beat WSC/SST Villareal 2-0 to book their place in the 3rd/4th playoff game. They confidently beat First Touch AC Milan 2-1 to pick up third place in the top bracket of the Maps Caps Classic tournament.

Coach Leon stopped by to tell us his thoughts, "The girls were not ready to play in the first game and it cost them a chance of making the final. They made up for it in the next 3 games but it was a lesson to them that they have to be ready to play in every game and no game is easy in the top levels. We are excited to see where this team can go and how far we can push them."
 

The U13 Boys came close to picking up a tournament win but were pipped to the post in the final. They beat UK Elite Haverford White 1-0 in an early 8am kick off before brushing aside JDI Blackcats 3-0. The Sunday saw them step it up and beat UK Elite Haverford Blue 4-1 to be put into the final against United Soccer Academy Rovers. Rovers won the game 2-1 in a tense and physical battle.

Coach Steve was happy to speak to us, "The whole summer this team has been growing and learning and playing some excellent soccer. We have dominated teams but struggled to find the killer pass or final shot to really put teams away and get a bit more recognition. As we move to JPS the competition for places in the side will get tougher and the quality of performance will no doubt improve. This team has played some lovely possession soccer but we just need to speed it up and we will become a very good team in south Jersey for the years to come"
 

The U13 Girls came up trumps with a tournament win this weekend. After two 3-0 wins over UK Elite and JDI Wanderers the confidence was as high as it has been this summer. The first Sunday game saw them win 2-0 over Cranford Lightning as they made there way to the final without conceding a goal. The final saw another clean sheet and a fantastic performance as they defeated New Jersey Dynamo 2-0.

Coach Leon told us about the team, "There are some wonderful players on this team who will only get better going forward. They showed what they are capable of this weekend. Four games without letting in a goal is a compliment for their great team defending from front to back. We also found a killer instinct in front of goal that was missing in earlier tournaments"

The U14 Girls wrapped up an exciting weekend for Ocean City FC as they won their tournament. A 3-0 win over Mercer United was followed by a very tight 1-0 loss to FC Copa Sevilla. The 6-0 win over UK Elite was enough to ensure a final place after a 3 team head to head tiebreaker. The final saw them turn on the style and the effort by beating Old Bridge Girls Lightning 6-1 to help them lift their first tournament trophy of the season. The U14 girls are the only team with a tournament left and they will be helping to go out in style next weekend.

Coach Dan was delighted with the performances and results, "It is wonderful to see the girls get the wins they deserve for some excellent expansive attacking soccer. They are playing how I want them to play and this is justified in the results. Hopefully we can keep the core of this team together and push on at the U15 level."

The Ocean City FC coaches and management would like to thank all of the players and parents who helped us this summer as we continue to grow as a club. We hope that you will embrace the change to Jersey Premier Soccer as we will and help us build a bigger and better soccer club here in south Jersey.

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