New England Soccer Today

USASA: Kendall Wanderers Win State Cup Final

Photo credit: Kendall Wanderers FC

Bay State Soccer League’s Kendall Wanderers FC will represent the Commonwealth in the Region 1 bracket of the USASA Werner Fricker U.S. Open Cup after beating Safira FC 2-0 in Sunday’s state final.

Wanderers struck early when Robbie Sabadoz won possession in Safira’s end and sent it through to Francis Mulkern, who sent it crashing into the back of the net inside of eight minutes.

With star goalscorer Alencar Junior in tow, Safira plotted an equalizer. Despite their best efforts, Kendall’s Luke Whelan nearly sent his squad into the break with a wider margin after depositing the ball into the Safira net twice, only to be called offside on both occasions.

As full-time approached, Safira threw numbers into the Kendall end, which created an opportunity for the men in red. Sebastien Das picked out Shane Murphy on the left, where the midfielder ran down the flank and crossed it for Taylor Gorman, whose late run coincided perfectly with the pass, which was tapped through for the insurance strike.

Goalkeeper Evan Weagle kept the sheet clean for Kendall to give the defending state champions the victory.

Kendall will meet Lansdowne Bhoys FC (N.Y.) in the regional round of the tournament on a date and time to be determined.

The US Open Cup was first played in the 1913-1914 season when it was called the National Challenge Cup. The winners were awarded the Dewar Cup, donated by Sir Thomas Dewar in 1912 for the promotion of soccer in America. In 1999, the Werner Fricker Cup was established to recognize the “open” champion among USASA members.

The teams that participate through the Region I qualifiers are those who advanced as champions of their state association, national or regional league. The competition format is single elimination. The Region I Finals will be played in June at the Ukrainian American Sports Center in Horsham, Pennsylvania. The winner will represent Region I at the Cup Final hosted by one of the finalists.

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