New England Soccer Today

USASA: Southie FC Advances to Amateur Cup State Final

Photo credit: Southie FC

Photo credit: Southie FC

Weeks after advancing to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup qualifying group, local amateur power Southie FC booked its ticket to the Massachusetts State National Amateur Cup final on Wednesday after beating GPS Omens 4-1 in the State semifinal at Moakely Stadium in Boston.

A scoreless first half gave way to an action-packed sequel in which Keith Caldwell broke the deadlock in the 68th minute. But Southie responded with a flurry of goals as Chris Stoker leveled it in the 75th minute before Roy Sandeman put the squad ahead in the 83rd minute. Tim Ritter closed the curtains on any potential GPS comeback by tallying in the 86th and 89th minutes.

Coincidentally, Wednesday’s semifinal marked the second time in less than a month that Southie advanced in a major tournament with a win over GPS, which fell 4-0 to the South Boston selection in the second round of Open Cup qualifying last month.

Wednesday’s match was originally scheduled for Nov. 19, which kicked off on schedule but had to be abandoned after the lights went out at Moakley Stadium.

With the win, the South Boston outfit will face MASS Soccer Champions League Cup winner Tarrafal FC (Brockton, Mass.) in the State Final on Dec. 13 at Madison Park High School in Roxbury, Mass. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm.

Leave a Reply