Southern Indiana’s U14 Strikes will play in the inaugural Presidents Cup finals in Indianapolis this weekend.
The boys will take on Westside United in the semi-final at St Francis on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m.) after winning a bracket containing Zionsville and Westfield.
The second semi-final features Elkhart Flames and Millennium Revolution, and the final will be played on Sunday.
Strikers coach Paul Duckworth said they are hopeful, but understand they are not the favorites. Westside, from Avon, sit atop the Indiana Soccer League Division 1, having so far gone unbeaten, and are ranked 11th in the state by Gotsoccer.com, while Strikers are 44th.
However, SIU has had a good season also, and still leads the ISL Division 2 with a 5-1-2 record.
“We have been playing very well lately, and upsets do happen in cup games,” said Duckworth.
The Indiana Presidents Cup is a middle tier competition between the State and Challenge Cups, and features boys’ and girls’ teams from U11 to U17, with champions from U14-U17 getting the chance to represent Indiana at regional and possibly national level.
“I am proud that we have stepped up a level from the Challenge Cup, and made it to the semi finals,” said Duckworth. “Anything after this is just icing on the cake.”
With the high expected to be around 96 on Saturday, he believes fitness will definitely tell.
“The team has been doing two miles a day training, with several under the 11 minute mark, so hopefully, our fitness and speed will carry through,” he said.
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