Dedham Soccer Plays Strong in Presidents Cup Finals

By Joe Kilroy

In the town of Dedham, over 30 teams of boys and girls, U9 through U16, play soccer each Fall and each Spring. The children of Dedham belong to a division called “Bays” – Boston Area Youth Soccer. Teams that play in this division come from all across the Eastern Massachusetts area. 

One of the highlights at the end of the Spring season, is a bracket-style tournament called the President's Cup. The tournament began in 2001 – 12 consecutive years now – and follows a single-game elimination format. For the past month, boys and girls from around town have been competing against neighboring towns, with the winners of each game moving forward to quarter-final and semi-final rounds, then on to a championship match.

On Saturday, June 22, 2013 the final 20 teams – representing 14 different communities – met at the Wheelock Field in Medfield to determine the 12th Annual President's Cup Champions. Of the twenty teams in the finals that day, Dedham was represented by 3 undefeated squads, the Boys U11 Destroyers, the Girls U11 Falcons, and the Girls U11 Strikers. These teams had fought past many a worthy opponent and were all prepared to give it their best in spite of the heat and humidity. Ironically, the three teams from Dedham were facing three teams from Wellesley.

The boys were first to play, and held off their opponents with a 2-0 victory. Coach Jody Foley's Dedham Destroyers were crowned the U11 Boys Champions! The two girl`s teams played next on adjoining fields and the side-lines were filled with maroon-clad friends and relatives. Dedham Youth Soccer Coach and League President, George Cariofiles, was on hand to cheer on the Town's boys and girls and lead his Falcons club on the field.

At the end of the half, both of the Dedham girl's teams clung to a slim lead. Under the guidance of Coach Cariofiles and Coach Ellen Curran,the Dedham Falcons went on to a 2-0 victory and were crowned the U11 Girls Champions while the Dedham Strikers  played a back and forth game with their opponents, until Wellesley scored 2 unanswered goals and took a 5-3 victory. Coaches John Barletta and Doug Bondar assured their team, of just how proud they were of their girls and the disappointment was short-lived once the Gold and Silver Championship Medals were handed out.

Congratulations to all of the Coaches and teams involved in this tournament, and we're sure that everyone is looking forward to starting up again in the Fall.