More WAZA Winning Ways!  Congratulations to the boys WAZA 94Black Team for a stellar season!

Although they had already qualified for a wildcard berth to Regionals as MRL U16 Red Champions, the WAZA 94 Black team earned the right to represent Michigan as State Cup Champions in the Region II Championships with a 2-0 victory over Kingdom Premier on June 6.  The 2010 Region II Championships were held in Dayton, Ohio this year featuring the 13 State Champions and 3 wildcard entries from the Midwestern States. Placed in the toughest of the four groups, WAZA began Group play with a 2-1 victory over Omaha FC (NE), followed by a 2-2 draw with Chicago Fire Juniors.  Then, in a must-win game against Javanon (KY), WAZA advanced to the medal round with a convincing 3-1 victory over the MRL Blue Champions.  Featuring a well-balanced attack, goal scorers in Group play included Jacob Sims, Alex Serwatka, Joey Serra, Cam Roberts, Matt DeLang, Nick Sobczynski and Ashwin Vaishnav.

In perhaps the most remarkable game of an amazing campaign, the Regional Semifinals saw WAZA fall behind Cleveland FC 2-0 on goals in the 48th and 56th minutes.  In dire straits with only 8 minutes remaining, Cam Roberts provided a spark of hope by depositing a close-range shot into the net.  Then as the clock desperately passed from the 80th minute into stoppage time, Nick Sobcyznski rocketed a clutch 25-yard free kick into the upper left corner, sending the contest into overtime, where Cam closed out the victory in the 118th minute with a header goal from a Sobcyznski corner kick. The Regional Finals pitted WAZA against a familiar foe, the #1 ranked Grand Rapids Crew Juniors.  Marking only their second loss in twenty-four 2010 contests, WAZA finished on the short end of a 1-0 score, earning the Silver medal for Regionals.

Because the GR Crew Juniors had already qualified for the National Championships via a 1st place National League finish, WAZA's runner-up finish still earned the team an invitation to represent Region II at Nationals held this year in Overland Park, Kansas from July 20-25. WAZA's first Group match at Nationals resulted in another 1-0 loss, this time to the Region IV Champion Slammers FC squad from Newport Beach, CA.  After making a multitide of amazing saves to keep the score close, Scott Poole made a valiant effort to thwart a breakaway attempt late in the game, preserving a chance for his team to tie the score, but drew a red card which disqualified him from the second contest.  Battling the elements in addition to their opponents, the stifling heat forced two WAZA teammates to the hospital for fluids following the game. With the odds against them, the WAZA back line of Joey Serra, Jacob Flanigan, Erik Kelly and Jeff Thomas rallied around emergency backup keeper Justin Kane to gain a shutout against the Region I Champions PSC Coppa from Pennsylvania.  Goals from Jacob Sims, Adriel Neely and Cam Roberts sealed a 3-0 WAZA victory.

Entering the final Group match against the Region II Champion Grand Rapids Crew Juniors, both teams needed a victory to have a chance to advance the National Championship Finals.  Crew would advance to the title game by simply earning a victory, while WAZA needed a victory over the Crew combined with a Slammers FC victory or tie to advance to the championship game. In a spirited rematch battle against their well-known foes, Cam Roberts converted a rare Crew miscue into an early 1-0 WAZA lead in the 9th minute.  Determined to outwork their talented opponents in the blazing noon heat, WAZA held the upper hand until the 59th minute when the Crew suddenly tied the score at 1-1.  Undaunted, WAZA turned up the heat further and regained the lead six minutes later on a Gino Pasquali tally, and then continued to hold the upper hand for the remainder of the match to earn an 2-1 victory which they expected would earn them a spot in the Finals. But minutes after the conclusion of their emotional contest, their jubilation turned to anguish as the heartbroken boys learned that their season had ended due to a Slammers FC loss at a nearby field.

So the WAZA 94 Black team concluded their season by earning a Bronze National Championship medal to accompany their Silver Regional and Gold State Cup medals.  In total, it was an amazing season and experience that will be treasured between great teammates and friends.  And they are looking forward to doing it all over again next year!