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Beachside Team Wins Regional Crown

WESTPORT, Conn. – Beachside Soccer Club under-12 coach Mark Alves admitted it looked bleak when his team fell behind by two goals in a shootout for the U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1 championship. But then goalie Tyler Dalton and the rest of the team went to work.

Dalton saved three of the next four shots, and Beachside rallied for a dramatic 5-4 win in penalty kicks to defeat Holmdel NJX of New Jersey, 1-0, in the championship game Tuesday at Lancaster, Pa. It was the second time in three years that Beachside has won the U12 regional title.

"I thought if we got out of our group, we had a good chance,'' Alves said. "When it gets to this level of competition, sometimes there's a little luck involved, too."

After finishing scoreless in regulation and overtime, the teams went into penalty kicks. Beachside fell behind 3-1 with just two shots remaining for each team. "It looked grim,'' Alves said. Dalton saved the next two shots. Ben Mines and George Kutrubis scored for Beachside to force sudden death penalty kicks. Oscar Pereira converted on Beachside's first shot in penalty kicks.

In sudden death, Holmdel converted on its first shot, and Thomas Nealon connected for Beachside. Joe Pravder connected on the game-winning shot while Dalton made yet another save to give Beachside the title.

It was the first time Beachside had beaten Holmdel, assistant coach Oliver Reid said. Holmdel topped Beachside, 5-1, in a friendly match-up last year.

"This is the most resilient team I've ever coached,'' Alves said. "We don't have a superstar. All of our players were equal. That's what makes us so difficult to play."

Beachside went 1-0-2 in Group A pool play, including a 1-1 tie against Holmdel.

Beachside sent four teams to regionals. The U12s was the only team to advance to the semifinals. "Playing for Beachside, there's such a great tradition,'' Alves said. "They look up to the older teams. We do everything the same way, from the younger groups to the older teams. They look up to those guys. We're glad we could bring a championship back to the club."

The team includes players from Westport, Norwalk, Stamford, Fairfield, Ridgefield, Trumbull and Hastings on Hudson, N.Y.

The roster includes Alex Carbonnier, Tyler Dalton, Jon Paul Fernandez, Alexander Hedegaard, Sawyer Kindel, George Kutrubis, Ben McNamara, Dylan Middlebrook, Ben Mines, Thomas Nealon, Julia Cesar Palencia, Oscar Pereira, Joe Pravder, James Roland, Ryan Ruff, Charlie Teeters and William Trudeau.

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