Team Boca SABR wins third national title with 4-2 win over Utah

By Gary Curreri

Three’s a charm as the Team Boca Elite 64 2008 girls team won the club’s third national championship on Sunday, July 28. The Team Boca squad is the travel component of the Soccer Association of Boca Raton program.

The Team Boca Elite 64 08G captured the 2024 USYS National Championship with a 4-2 victory over  Fort Wayne United 2008 U17 Girls Elite 64 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee.

Adrianna Gonzalez scored twice in the first seven minutes to stake Team Boca to a 2-0 advantage. Fort Wayne managed to tie the game at 2-2 with a penalty kick at the start of the second half and another a few minutes later.

Colbie Pirchio gave the locals the lead for good in the 70th minute and Mary Hartofilis iced the game with a goal in the 84th minute.

Team Boca advanced to the finals by defeating Utah Celtic, 2-0 in the semifinals. They also topped the Michigan Tigers, 2-1 and League Summit (DC), 3-1 after opening the national championships with a 6-0 win over Portland City SC.

To advance to the nationals, Team Boca won the FCL National Premier League with a 2-1 victory over the Florida Hawks Futbol Blue 2009 squad 2-1.

It is the club’s third national title and the second under coach Patrick Baker, who guided the Team Boca U19 girls to the club’s first national championship in 2021 with a 4-2 victory over Sporting Nebraska in the U-19/U20 contest.

“Today was remarkable for the girls, their families and the Team Boca club overall,” Baker said. “Many of our players had won the USYS National Championship at the U-13 level, but this was a different team, and I couldn’t be prouder of these young ladies. The group games this past week were very competitive and we showed great composure in the semifinals and finals.”

Current Team Boca Girls Director of Coaching Mario Rincon led the 2008s to their first national title in the same year. The 2008 team downed the Michigan Nationals Union team with a come-from-behind 3-2 (3-2 PKs) victory. Those were the first national titles in the 43-year history of the club.

“I believe we have 10 players that have been a part of both titles,” Baker continued. “Mario had a great U-13 group that was hand-picked and really set a standard. (Kenslee Ward, Dylan Chavez, Brooke Kaplan, Adrianna Gonzalez, Lola Meehan, Colbie Pirchio, Mia Mackrey, Julianna Ligiouri, Mary Hartofilis, and Emily Rodriguez). Those that have stayed and not jumped ship…forever thankful and we have grown into a different team that is one of the best in the country at the 2008 age group.”

Hartofilis and Gonzalez were two members of the 2008 team that won in 2021 and again this season. There are 10 members who returned from the 2008 team.

“It’s really cool being with the team that long and winning the two championships,” said Hartofilis, who has also seen action with the Ireland U-17 national team this year. It shows the amount of hard work that goes into everything and how much we wanted it.

“We put in a lot of hard work in practices, and we earned it,” she added. “Having so many people back from the (2021) national championship team definitely helped us because we are so close on and off the field. We play together and stay together, and you could see on the field how we connected and fought for each play. I felt from when we walked on the field for warmups that we were going to win, especially after not winning the past two (years).”

Gonzalez said she was really proud of the team that sustained a lot of “ups and downs during the season.”

“It’s awesome to win twice,” Gonzalez said. “It is something a lot of people can’t say. We had played this team earlier in the season with only nine players, and missing some of our key players, so we knew we could win if we play the way we always play. We can’t stay comfortable. We have to play relentless.”

“I am really proud of what we did,” she continued. “This team has been through a lot of ups and downs…the fact that we stayed together and pushed through and were there for each other through the hard times and the really good times shows that we can do anything that comes towards us.”

Gonzalez, like Hartofilis, has been with the club since she was a U8 player.

“I have been here forever,” said Gonzalez, who will represent Mexico in the U17 World Cup in October in the Dominican Republic. “The club has helped me grow as a player. It is like family. The team is very close.”

Baker, who is also the head coach at Florida Atlantic University, said the girls overcame many obstacles during the season including a 3-0 loss in February to Fort Wayne when the team was limited to just nine players due to conflicts with the high school playoffs

“We had a number of obstacles throughout the year – national team call ups for Gonzalez (Mexico), Hartofilis (Ireland) and (Maiya) Castillo (Chile),” Baker said. “We also had three unfortunate ACL injuries to key players that forced us to change personnel in our system.

“Five players were playing for ECNL clubs and weren’t with us on a regular basis,” Baker added. “Playing (Fort Wayne) today with a full talented roster was much better and the girls found a way late to win it. As a whole, this is an exceptional group with a very bright future.”

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