2008 Sharks News

Naples Youth Soccer Club Brings Christmas Cheer to the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee
(Dec 22, 2008)

On Saturday December 20th, more than 30 Sharks partnered with the Soccer Pit Cobras of Immokalee to deliver 200 donated presents to over 100 families at the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee. The Immokalee families enjoyed the festivities in which the Sharks and Cobras players helped to make cards and cookies and give presents to children of all ages. The day exceeded everyone’s expectations with smiles all around. Both Manny Touron, Immokalee Soccer Pit, and Bryan Rodrigues, Naples Youth Soccer Club, expect this first annual Christmas drive will lead to further Collier County soccer partnerships giving back to the community. Special thanks also to Chris Holzer and Angelika Dean who also helped organizing this great event.

Murrell Finishes Successful College Career
(Dec 20, 2008)

Former Naples Shark Scott Murrell wrapped up a successful college career at Rollins College this fall. Scott anchored the Tars' back line, logging an impressive 1499 minutes on the field. Scott provided leadership as team captain and was named to the Daktronics All-South Region Second Team for the second year in a row.

President's Letter. Happy Holidays to all of our Sharks friends and families
(Dec 19, 2008)

It is great to see Gavin, our DOC, back on the fields again after recovering from his recent ACL surgery and I'm now also back on my feet after a problematic couple of weeks. Thank you for all for your good wishes.

On the field

Congratulations to former Naples Sharks Alex McLay and Jamie Takala.

Alex, a Naples High School graduate and freshman at University of North Alabama, was named to the first team All Gulf South Conference women's soccer team earlier in November. The goalkeeper started 15 of 17 games for the Lions and went 6-6-1 with 2 shutouts.

Jamie, a Gulf Coast High School graduate, scored 4 goals and had 6 assists this season for North Alabama, which finished 8-11-1. Three of Jamie's goals were game-winners.

Six teams from the Club enjoyed the 22nd Annual Plantation Thanksgiving Classic Tournament with 3 teams making it through the group phase.

U12 Red Girls beating Cooper City Cobras 2-1, Weston Fury 2-0 and Miramar Strikers 4-0, they lost to a very strong Sunrise team in the semis.

U13 Girls went 2-0-1 beating Sunrise Sting 3-1, Renegades 2-1 and drawing with Tropical Soccer 1-1. They lost their semi final to Kendall SC in a very tight game 1-0.

U15 Boys dropped their first game to West Pines 2-0 and went onto beat both Wellington and CTC Bandits 5-0. They had to settle for second place, losing out to West Pines 4-1 in a hard-fought final.

The U18 Girls headed to Georgia to play in the Norcross Nike Cup in early December playing in the Championship Division. They tied their first 2 games, 0-0 with Brentwood Premier and 1-1 with GSA Phoenix White, a top 10 team in Georgia. They followed this up with a strong 3-0 win over NMSC Red from North Carolina to take first place in the group. In the final, the Sharks lost 2-0 to Norcross Fury Blue, another top 10 team in Georgia. The out of state tournament was a chance for players to showcase their talent in front of 74 college and university coaches.

Please bookmark the Kelme Cup in January!! This is expected to be a 120+ team tournament in Naples and we've negotiated a very affordable entrance fee to entice all of our teams to take part; the added bonus there is no travel involved.

All of our teams have now entered the respective Region and State Cup competitions. As soon as fields and schedules become available your team managers will be in contact.

Off the field

Thank you to Bryan Rodrigues, Chris Holzer and Angelika Dean for spearheading two wonderful community initiatives and all of the Sharks who contributed their time or donated to these drives.

Our first initiative was a very successful Thanksgiving food drive that delivered 6 boxes of food and chickens to St. Vincent De Paul's.

Our second will be delivering on Saturday December 20th toys and games to the needy children of the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee. We will be partnering with the Immokalee Soccer Club. On Tuesday December 23rd will also be delivering toys and games to the pediatric ward of North Collier Hospital.

Please bookmark your diaries for January 23rd which will be the first annual Sharks family night out at "Uno Chicago Grill". This will be a great opportunity to get everyone together for fun and cheer and also help fundraise for the Club. We will send further news out in early January.

Looking ahead to predicting fees for next year is difficult to forecast so early; however, we have already decided to go with the same uniform for another (3rd) year which we expect will save each family $100 in 2009!! We will continue to be cost-conscious and ensure we remain the most competitively priced soccer club in 2009.

The New Year will be a busy one for high-level soccer here in the US. In 2009 the US Men's National Team will continue playing qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the new women's professional league, called the WPS for Women's Professional Soccer, will open with seven teams featuring many of the US Women's National Team players along with international standouts.

Good luck to those of you playing in the New Year tournaments!

Paul Kindred, Naples Youth Soccer President

U18 Girls Tournament Finalists
(Dec 10, 2008)

The U18 ladies took a break from their high school seasons and headed to Georgia to play in the Norcross Nike Cup December 6-7. Playing in the Championship Division, the Sharks tied their first two games, a scoreless draw with Brentwood Premier from Tennessee and a 1-1 tie with GSA Phoenix White, a top 10 team in Georgia. On Sunday, the Naples squad had a solid 3-0 win over NMSC Red from North Carolina to take first place in the group. In the final, the Sharks lost 2-0 to host Norcross Fury Blue, another top 10 team in Georgia.

The out-of-state tournament was a chance for players to showcase their talent in front of 74 coaches from colleges and universities from throughout the southeast.

Thanksgiving tournament results
(Dec 1, 2008)

Six teams from the club enjoyed some great soccer weather at the 22nd Annual Plantation Thanksgiving Classic Tournament this past weekend. Three teams made it through the group phase but the best finish was a runner-up spot for the U15 boys.

The U15 boys, playing in the blue division, dropped their first round robin match 2-0 to West Pines United, but then blanked Wellington Wave and CTC Bandits by identical 5-0 scores. The final was a rematch against the West Pines squad where Naples was unable to improve on the earlier scoreline and had to settle for a second-place finish.

The U13 girls went 2-0-1 in their gold division group play, beating Sunrise Sting 3-1 and Renegades 2-1 and drawing with Tropical Soccer 1-1. In their semifinal match, the U13 Sharks dropped a close 1-0 game to Kendall SC who went on to win the final.

The U12 Red girls team won all three of their gold division group matches, besting Cooper City Cobras 2-1, Weston Fury 2-0, and Miramar Strikers 4-0. Their semifinal berth pitted them against a very strong Sunrise Sting team that had scored at least 5 goals in each of its earlier matches. The Sharks fared no better and lost 5-1. Sunrise went on to beat southwest Florida rival Lehigh Lightning 5-2 in the final.

Click here for all the tournament results

Players meet WNT member Carli Lloyd in Tampa

(Nov 8, 2008) The U.S. Women's National Team recently played a series of three friendly matches against South Korea at venues across the country, with the final game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday, November 8. Jessie Andrade and Fatima DiModica of the U12 Red girls team got painted up and went to the stadium early to see if they could meet some members of the team. Jessie's younger brother, Tony, who plays on the U10 academy team also got decked out in the red, white, and blue face paint. He was drafted to carry a sign that said "Carli Lloyd will you marry me?" and apparently the sign got her attention. Tony was actually a little shy when confronted by the 5' 8" midfielder, but Fatima and Jess were thrilled to get their picture taken with a national team stalwart who will be playing for the Chicago Red Stars in the new Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league next year. Tony's claim to fame, however, is that his photo ended up being posted on the www.ussoccer.com website. Before the match forward Angela Hucles was recognized for making her 100th appearance with the national team. The more than 4200 fans were treated to an exciting game that ended 1-0 for the USA on a Heather O'Reilly goal. Click here for a full game report

Former Naples Shark Alex McLay named first-team All-Gulf South Conference

(Nov 5, 2008) Naples High School graduate, and former Naples Shark Alex McLay, a freshman at North Alabama, was named to the first-team All-Gulf South Conference women's soccer team on Wednesday. The goalkeeper started 15 of 17 games for the Lions. She went 6-6-1 with two shutouts and a 1.93 goals-against average, and a .754 save percentage. Her goals-against average was seventh in the conference, and her save percentage was fourth. McLay tied for second with 86 total saves. Another former Naples Shark, and Gulf Coast High School graduate Jamie Takala, scored four goals and had six assists this season for North Alabama, which finished 8-11-1. Three of Takala's goals were game-winners.

President's Letter
(Oct 22, 2008)

Greetings Sharks, it is almost a month since our last newsletter and now is a great time to bask in the success of the last few weeks and also bring you up to speed with what is happening in and around the Club.

Firstly, a big thanks to everyone who participated and volunteered in both the Soccer Showcase and 4th Annual Shark Shootout!!

August 2nd
Manny Touron gained approval from FYSA to start up a soccer club in Immokalee. NYSC is instrumental in supporting this program and there are behind the scenes duties that we perform that helped get them off the ground and will sustain them in their first year. Many Lee County Clubs also pitched in so this is a really good local Southwest Florida soccer effort to officially put soccer on the map in Immokalee.

August 20th
Throughout the summer we have successfully negotiated and partnered with the County Parks and Recreation to establish a Co-Sponsor Agreement. This enables the Club to maintain a reduced fee to pay for our fields and also increases awareness of our needs to run a successful not-for-profit soccer program in Naples. While far from ideal, the County continues to try and help locate available practice space and in this day and age of severe budget cuts, we are grateful and continue to look at every opportunity.

September 28th
It poured with rain all day during the Soccer Showcase and unfortunately no photographs were taken. This did not stop a record turnout with all of the players thoroughly enjoying themselves. There were very popular games on show such as juggling, speed and target shooting that attracted many competitors to demonstrate their skills. All winners were awarded mini-soccer balls presented by our Director of Coaching and Operations, Gavin Spooner. The U16 girls took home first place in the Central Florida Puma Shootout held over the weekend in Orlando.

October 11th/12th
For the next 2 weeks it continued to rain and we were at one stage concerned that the 4th Annual Shark Shootout would not go ahead as planned. Thankfully, we had a rainless, sunny weekend and with a lot of hard work from many of you this was a huge success and a very positive experience for all of the competitors and visitors. We hosted 60 teams from near and far and can proudly boast champions in the U11 Girls and U14 Boys divisions while our U13 and U18 Girls traveled to Orlando that same weekend and were champions at the Seminole Fall Festival.

October 13th
We continue to make modifications to the website, and on the Board page we have now started to post future Board Meeting Agendas and Approved Minutes. It is a public forum and the membership is encouraged to attend the Board Meetings.

October 14th
The Board of Directors is conscious that great ideas come from the membership and we know that there are many of you who are interested in becoming more active in helping us drive the Club successfully into the future. With this in mind we have exciting news to share. While our Board of Directors will remain with current titles and voting privileges, we have asked each Board member to chair committees of responsibility. The number of participants on the committee is not limited and there are many more responsibilities than described below. We hope this will encourage everyone to select where they are best suited to volunteer their talents and also contribute with further creative ideas.

Please let me know if you are interested working with us on the following committees:

Team Management - Chair Angelika Dean, Beth DiModica, Kate McCarthy
    - Point person for communicating to the Team Managers.
    - Organizing the Soccer Showcase and End of Year Banquet.
    - Team fund raising and the Club directory.


Uniform - Chair Pete Vente, Chris Palumbo, Randy Bills.
    - Selection of bi-annual Club uniforms 2009/10 - 2011/12.
    - Sponsorship and advertising logos.


League Liaison - Chair Randy Bills, John Mealer, Veronica Hepp, Shaun Greening, Ingrid Shayji-Kindred
    - Club representation at all league meetings.
    - Grow and maintain relationship with Optimist program.
    - Referee development.


Player Development (Off field) - Chair Tony Andrade, Paul Nick, Chris Palumbo, Pete Vente
    - Coordinate community service projects.
    - Communication point on opportunities to play in college.
    - Scholarship distribution process.


Tournaments - Chair Bryan Rodrigues.
    - Coordinating with all other Chairs / DOC as needed.


Public Relations - Chair Jim Snyder, Beth DiModica, Bryan Rodrigues, Patrick Fischer.
    - Oversee website.
    - Marketing and communication.
    - Search opportunities to get the Club press time.
    - Newsletters and Club fundraising.


Policy and Parent Education - Chair Scott McNamara, Pete Vente
    - First point of contact for all policy infractions.
    - By - law owner.


County Liaison- Chair Paul Kindred, Tony Andrade.
    - Maintain and grow the relationship with the County.
    - Attend all County meetings that lend itself to the Club.


Finance - Chair Paul Nick, Tony Andrade, Paul Kindred
    - Lead in developing Club annual budget.
    - Deliver treasure report at each Board meeting.
    - Long range financial planning.


Recruiting - Chair Paul Kindred, Beth DiModica
    - Communicate regularly with other local Leagues on opportunities within the Club.
    - Work with Optimist liaison.
    - Win back players and retain current players.


In closing the October edition of Shark Bite, I take this opportunity to ask for your help creating a much needed Frequently Asked Questions page for the club website.

Please email me at paul.kindred@gartner.com if you have any questions for the FAQs page and / or if you are interested in serving on any of the above committees. You may also go directly to the Board member / Chair of the Committee by clicking on the email address posted on our website.

Good luck to those of you playing in Halloween tournaments, starting high school soccer or your regular leagues.

Paul Kindred, Naples Youth Soccer President

Naples Youth Soccer Tournament Success
(Oct 13, 2008)

Naples Youth Soccer Club held its 4th Annual Naples Sharks Shootout this past weekend at Collier County ’s North Collier Regional Park soccer complex. The tournament was host to 57 teams from across Florida including 22 teams from the Miami, Tampa and Melbourne areas.

The tournament hosted age divisions from Under 10 through Under 16. The tournament was a huge success with approximately 900 players and their families enjoying a weekend of intense soccer action at one of the country’s best soccer complexes as well as finding time to relax and enjoy Naples’ fantastic beaches, attractions, hotels and restaurants. The efficient operation of the tournament can be attributed to the 50+ incredible volunteer staff that members of Naples Youth Soccer Club provided to ensure that all players and their families had a great weekend. Additionally the 40+ referees that officiated the 99 games did a fantastic job.

All results can be found on the Shark Shootout tournament website and Naples Youth Soccer Club is already gearing up to make the 2009 5th Annual Naples Sharks Shootout bigger and better.

The 2008 Boys Champions are;
U10 Boys Real Madrid
U11 Boys Lehigh Lightning
U12 Boys Weston Fury
U13/14 Boys Silver Lehigh Lightning
U14 Boys Gold Naples Sharks Red

The 2008 Girls Champions are;
U11 Girls Gold Wesley Chapel
U11 Girls Silver Naples Sharks Red
U12 Girls Gold Lehigh Lightning
U12 Girls Silver Blackwatch Thistle
U13/14 Girls Lee County Strikers
U15 Girls ICSA U14 Girls
U16 Girls South Dade United

---

U13 and U18 Girls were all champions at the 19th Annual Seminole Girls Fall Festival
(Oct 13, 2008)

The Naples U13 and U18 Girls all won their respective divisions at the 19th Annual Seminole Girls Fall Festival over Columbus Day weekend in Lake Mary, FL.

The U18 Sharks defense set the tone allowing 1 shot on goal in the opening two games and 8 for the tournament and allowing only 2 goals for the weekend. The girls opened with a 2-1 win over Ocala Lightening. Julie Samson registered a goal and an assist. Emily Cattanach scored and Rachael Perkins assisted on Samson's goal. The Sharks next tied Florida Rush 0-0. Sunday morning the Sharks won 3-1 over Lake County in a cross bracket match-up. Amanda Maybin made several timely saves as Jacquie Lista tallied 2 goals and Rachael Perkins netted her first of the year. Cattanach added 2 assists while Rachel Brothers contributed on the third goal. The Finals was a rematch with Lake County, as both teams won their brackets. Naples won convincingly 3-0. Emily Cattanach scored twice, while Julie Samson scored her seventh on the season. Rachael Perkins, Ceylan Hasan, and Amanda Buxton each contributed to the goals.

The U13 Sharks girls won the championship with an overall team effort by not allowing a single goal during the entire tournament!

---

Welcome to the 2008/09 season
(Sep 25, 2008)

As our high school teams are winding down their early season leagues the rest of the Club will be starting their various leagues very soon. All of this could not have been done without the great support from many wonderful people and I will take this opportunity to recognize the following key individuals:

♦    Angelika Dean for the smoothest and timeliest registration process in history and executing on fixing the 07/08 uniform challenges.

♦   John Mealer for representing the Club with the FLUGSA and SFU leagues and has worked tirelessly throughout a challenging summer.

♦   Patrick Fischer for maintaining the Club website.

♦   Beth DiModica big thanks for spearheading the Directory this year.

♦   Veronica Hepp for representing the Club contributing to the organization of the SWFL league this Fall.

♦   Ingrid Shayji-Kindred for ensuring our fields and referees are assigned for both league and scrimmages.

♦   Gavin Spooner and his coaching staff for their continued dedication for providing our children with a safe and fantastic environment to play a sport they love and which we are proud to watch.

♦   All of our team managers for helping the Club organize and coordinate their teams, allowing our coaches to concentrate on what they do best.

♦   The Board of Directors for their dedication and their great stewardship running our successful Club.

We are looking forward to seeing all of our soccer friends and families at the annual Sharks Soccer Showcase Picnic this Sunday 28th September. Please take a moment to thank these great Shark Community volunteers this weekend.

Our plans are to continue to build on the success of last year and we have many opportunities to add further value to the Club. The first is communication, both internally and externally. I will take ownership of coordinating internal communication and expect to deliver regular newsletters / emails reporting back team successes, our involvement in the Community and up and coming Events. We also need to do a lot of work with our external communication to really get our name out there and promote our great Club. I have a point person for that role and would really appreciate volunteers from within the Club to help them to expand our outreach. Please contact me at paul.kindred@gartner.com if this appeals to you or if you have any ideas.

With these thoughts, let’s plan on wearing red shirts this Sunday. A sea of red across the fields would be an awesome sight. We will therefore need a couple of volunteers to take plenty of photographs that we can post to the website and share the fun.

If you have not done so already, please bookmark the Sharks Shootout, October 11th and 12th, we have approximately 60 teams registered and this is going to be a spectacular Event…. and without any travelJ. We will need volunteers, please coordinate with your team managers or reply to me at the above email address.

I will continue to update you with the Club’s developments throughout the season and look forward to reporting back the success of this weekend.

Kind regards
Paul Kindred
President
Naples Youth Soccer Club

---

Lewis awarded Region C scholarship
(Sep 15, 2008)

Cami Lewis, a graduating senior on last year's U18 girls team and a seven-year member of the Sharks, recently received a $250 Davis scholarship through Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA) Region C. Naples Youth Soccer Club is an affiliate of the Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA). FYSA divides the state into four regions, A-D, and southwest Florida falls within Region C, which runs from Naples to north of Tampa and St. Pete. Region C has established a number of scholarships for players and high school seniors are encouraged to apply later in the school year. Further information can be found here.

---

U18 Sharks Champs at Labor Day Tournament
(Sep 3, 2008)

The Naples Sharks U18 Girls started their 2008 – 2009 season on a positive note by winning the 12th Annual Black Watch Soccer Club Labor Day Tournament in Plant City , Florida. The team opened up with a 2 -2 draw against the Hernando Heat, with Julie Samson tallying both goals. On Sunday, the Sharks defeated the Florida Soccer Alliance 90s White 3-2. Emily Cattanach, Kristine Ma and Justine Long scored goals. In the final pool play game, Naples blanked the host team Black Watch Sterling 2-0. Long and Amanda Buxton scored while Amanda Maybin notched the shut-out in goal with defensive help from Rachel Brothers, Katie Crosby, Sarah Vente, Alexa Zavada and Jacquie Lista.

In the championship game the Sharks got a second shot at the Hernando Heat and they took full advantage to avenge the earlier tie by winning 5-1. Cattanach opened the scoring, and goals from Ceylon Hasan and Carly Love gave the Sharks a 3-0 halftime lead. Samson and Lista netted second half goals to round out the scoring. Coach Eric Miles credits a complete team effort for the result and especially strong play from Rachel Perkins, Anais Dobson, Meaghan Barry, and Gabby Passidomo.

---

Shark Summer Camps a Huge Success
(Aug 13, 2008)

Naples Youth Soccer Club’s summer soccer camps came to an end on August 8. This season over 100 players participated in three different weeks of camp. The early summer and advanced skills camps were very successful, but the final camp that ended last week had over 40 players in attendance. It was an ideal pre-season camp that solved the problem of Naples August weather by having its afternoon sessions indoors in a gym. “Using the gym in the afternoons was a great relief from the heat and humidity and a great opportunity to work on some of the more technical aspects of the game,” said Director of Coaching and Operations, Gavin Spooner. Of course, the daily Ice Pop break helped cool the kids off too.

Naples Youth Soccer Club has provided camps for over 250 players in its first year of providing club-organized camps. This is a tremendous number and we look forward to even bigger and better camps next year.

Look for information soon on the upcoming winter break camp and don’t miss out.

---

F.Y.S.A. “D” Coaching License Being Offered
(July 27, 2008)

The South West Florida Soccer League is pleased to announce that they will be offering a FYSA "D" License coaching course to be hosted by the Island Coast Soccer Alliance. This course is offered to any coach who has obtained their FYSA E license The D license course is 32 hours in duration and is spread over two weekends.

This course is available to ALL E licensed coaches’, trainers and parents who are interested in attaining the license irrespective of which club organization or team they are associated with

FYSA “D” Coaching Certificate (2 x weekends)

D license: The D license is the highest state license course for coaches of players 13 and up. Depending on results of testing a coach who passes may receive a "D" or "D (r)" (recommendation to attend National C course after a one year wait) designation. The D course includes written, oral and practical coaching exams on the field. There will no longer be a waiver process into the D license course. The E license will be required for entry. The D course takes 36 hours and is usually held over two weekends. The cost is $200 per coach. The minimum age to attend the D course is 17. Coaches attending the D course must have an email address to receive materials in advance of the course.

In the event a coach misses part of a course, it is the responsibility of that coach to attend the missed segment at another course in order to attain the D license.

Course Details First Weekend: Sept 5/6/7 The first weekend the course will be held on Friday 5/6/7 from 6-00pm thru 900pm, Sat Sep 6th 9-00am thru 5-00pm and Sunday Sep 7th 9-00am thru 5-00pm.

Location: WA-Ke-Hatchee Recreational center ( Lexington Middle School ) 16730 Bass Rd Ft Myers 33908

Second Weekend:Sept 19/20/21 The second weekend the course will be held on Friday Sept 19th from 6-00pm thru 9-00pm, Sat Sept 20th from 9-00am thru 5-00pm and Sunday sept 21st from 9-00am thru 5-00pm

Location: WA-Ke-Hatchee Recreational center ( Lexington Middle School ) 16730 Bass Rd Ft Myers 3390

Course Fee: $200

F.Y.S.A Course Instructors: Gary Barnett & Robert Peltram

Application Process: Coaches attending this course must have an email address in order to receive a confirmation and course materials by attachment in advance of the course. The course tuition is $200.00 Please complete the registration form and mail to:

FYSA-Coaching Department
7201 Lake Ellenor Drive, Suite 200
Orlando Florida 32809

For more information email Peter Mellor or call (727) 430 3757

---

State Cup Update
(April 16, 2008)


The Sharks will be represented by three teams in the Florida State Cup round of 16 on April 26. The U13 Red boys finished first in their second round bracket last weekend and will join the U15 and U18 girls in the round of sixteen. The U14 Red girls did not advance from the second round, missing out on the goal differential tiebreaker. The U13 Red boys will meet Countryside Lightning, the U15 girls will be matched up against Weston Fury, and the U18 girls will take on last year's Florida state champions, RSL Florida.

U10 Girls Place Second in Miami Tournament
(April 22, 2008)


The U10 girls went 2-0-1 in the opening round of the Miami Lakes Shootout last weekend against some unfamiliar east coast competition. The young Sharks couldn't find the net in the tournament final and lost to a solid Kendall team, but felt good finishing second after four hard-fought matches.

State Cup Update
(April 16, 2008)


The Sharks will be represented by three teams in the Florida State Cup round of 16 on April 26. The U13 Red boys finished first in their second round bracket last weekend and will join the U15 and U18 girls in the round of sixteen. The U14 Red girls did not advance from the second round, missing out on the goal differential tiebreaker. The U13 Red boys will meet Countryside Lightning, the U15 girls will be matched up against Weston Fury, and the U18 girls will take on last year's Florida state champions, RSL Florida.

U17 Boys Win State Championship!
(April 10, 2008)


The Naples Sharks U-17 Boys returned to Naples on April 6, 2008 as the State Champions after winning the President's Cup Tournament on the weekend of April 5th & 6th.. The team defeated Creeks Athletic Soccer Club from Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon and South Kendall Soccer in the finals on Sunday afternoon. Creeks Athletic, the champion from Region B (Space Coast through Jacksonville region) went down 2 1 on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals by Alex Komninos and Paul Califano from the Naples Sharks. South Kendall Soccer, the champion from Region A (Dade, Broward & Palm Beach Counties) who won their semi-final round on Saturday, were shut out by the Sharks on Sunday afternoon 2-0 on goals by Chris Moore and Tom High.

The President's Cup tournament is the culmination of the Region Cup Tournament that commenced the weekend of February 23rd and 24th in Ft. Myers. Winning 3 of the 4 games in Round 1 against teams from the Tampa - Lakeland area, the Sharks defeated the Lakeland Lazers in the Region Cup finals in Tampa on March 16th, earning a berth in the State Championship Presidents Cup in Plantation on the weekend of April 5th & 6th. Of the 7 games in the Region Cup and President's Cup Tournaments, the Sharks held their opponents scoreless in 5 of the 7 games, outscoring their opponents 17-4.



In Sunday's championship game, both midfielder Chris Moore and sweeper Tom High scored on penalty kicks. Saturday's 2-1 victory came on goals by Alex Komninos and Paul Califano. With Evan Goldszak in Goal, the Sharks defense consists of Tom High as sweeper, Cody Togher and Spenser Kehoe as left and right backs and Chris Moore, Paul Califano, Cory Kubacki and Alex Falk filling in the center as stopper and defense midfielders. Middle offensive players Sergio Ramirez, Alex Komninos, Nick Vergara and Rick Osorio controlled the center of the field while Austin Albury, Graham Wilkinson, Marvin Kloss, Jefferson Iles and Alexis Valkendy brought the offensive attack. Offensive midfielder Hunter Smith was unable to attend the tournament as he was recovering from a sudden illness in mid March. Coached by Mark Wilkinson, the U-17 boys now qualify for a trip to the Region III Presidents Cup in Columbus Georgia the weekend of June 13 - 15, where they will face the state champions from the other 11 states in Region III.

In preparation for the Region III President's Cup, the U-17 team will be traveling to Orlando to play in the Disney Memorial Day Shootout May 23 - 26th. The Sharks were the Champions of the Disney Memorial Day Shootout in 2006. There is very little financial assistance available to offset the costs for the players to participate in these tournaments. Anyone interested in supporting the club's travel expenses or otherwise sponsoring the teams travel expenses should contact Tom High at 777-1430.

Sharks off to College
(April 8, 2008)

Five of the eight seniors on the U18 girls team have accepted offers to play in college next season. Alex McLay, the team goalkeeper, will be joined by midfielder Jamie Takala at University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama. Kelly Tripp, Nina Cibula, and Rachel King will all be making the move to Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina.

The photo shows the 8 high school seniors from the U18 team, plus Jen Maybin, a freshman at FSU who drove down from Tallahassee, before the last home game they will ever play as Naples Sharks. It was a 2-1 win over Jacksonville Fury, completing a three-game sweep in the opening round of 2008 Florida State Cup at North Collier Regional Park.

Four teams moving on in Florida State Cup
(April 2, 2008)

The 2008 Florida State Cup competition got under way this past weekend at various venues around the state. The Naples U18 girls won all three of their first round matches and move directly on to the round of 16, or Challenge round, on April 26. The U15 girls also move directly on to the round of 16 by finishing second in their bracket. The U14 girls and U13 boys also finished second in their groups, but with a larger number of teams in their age groups they will be playing in a second preliminary round the weekend of April 12-13 in order to qualify for the round of 16.

Shark ODP Players!
(March 26, 2008)

Naples Youth Soccer Club is proud of the following players for being selected to the State ODP pools. The Florida ODP system is a series of tryouts for players throughout Florida to be selected for State teams. It is the first stage in the selection process for making the youth national teams. Congratulations and good luck.

Owen McCorkle U13 Boys
Marissa Stovring U14 Girls
Luke McCarthy U15 Boys
Kyle Murray U15 Boys
Wojciech Dzieza U15 boys
Ashley Helenbrook U15 Girls
Cassie Fernandez U15 Girls
Evan Goldszak U17 Boys

Successful Region Cup Final 4 Weekend!
(March 19, 2008)

Naples Sharks teams had a successful showing at Region C Cup final four this past weekend.

The U17 boys won Division 1 in their age group and advance to President's Cup in early April. The U17 girls lost in a Penalty Kick shoot-out in their Division 1 final, but qualify for Presidents Cup with a wild card. The Presidents Cup is the championship series for the Division 1 winners of the 4 Region Cup hold throughout Florida.

The U11 girls white team made it to the championship game before losing out to Oldsmar, while the U10 girls lost their semifinal on a late penalty after coming back from 3-0 down to Manatee. Congratulations to these teams for making it to the Final 4, and good luck to the 17 boys and girls in the President's Cup.

Congratulations to the following Sharks teams who have reached the Region C Cup Final 4.
(March 10, 2008)

U10 Girls
U11 Girls White
U17 Girls
U17 Boys

U11 Girls prepare for their first "chilly" game!

U14 & U18 Girls compete in Round 1 of State Cup at NCRP!
(March 10, 2008)

Naples Youth Soccer Club will be hosting the 1st round of State Cup, March 29/30th at North Collier Regional Park for the U14 and U18 girls age brackets. Mark this weekend on your calendar to come out and support our U14 and U18 Girls teams as they compete with the best of the best in Florida soccer.

Good Luck to the following teams who also compete in State Cup that weekend at various other locations through out Florida. U13 Boys Red, U15 Girls, U15 Boys, and U16 Girls.

U14 Girls Home Schedule:
Sat. 29, 11 a.m. Field 3, 5 p.m. Field 4
Sun. 30, 11 a.m. Field 3

U18 Girls Home Schedule:
Sat. 29, 12:30 p.m., Field 5, 6:30 p.m. Field 6
Sun. 30, 12:30 p.m., Field 5

MLS and Naples Extreme meet!
(February 25, 2008)

Naples Extreme player and Oggi Oggi Oggi soccer camper Jake Spooner recently attended the MLS pre-season friendlies in Bradenton. Kansas City Wizards, Chicago Fire, Toronto FC and Columbus Crew all played games simultaneously. In attendance were former Oggi Oggi Oggi soccer camper Jack Jewsbury from the Kansas City Wizards.

Jack Jewsbury
	Cuauhtemoc Blanco

U17 & U18 Girls President's Day Tournament Recap
(February 21, 2008)

Two of the club's senior teams got back in action after the long high school season. The U17 girls played in the 2nd Annual Tampa Bay President's Day Classic and came away with the second place trophy. The Sharks beat Winter Haven and Gulf Coast United by 1-0 scorelines and then dropped FC Tampa 4-0. In the championship match injuries and illness caught up with the team and they lost 3-0 to Florida Soccer Spirit. Goals scored during the tournament: Jessica Barry 3, Kasey LoGalbo 2 and Madeleine Lachesnez 1. Goalie Morgan Berman made several key saves during the tournament and notched three shutouts. MVP right back Allison Smilanich kept opponents in check all tournament long.

The U18 girls went 2-1-1 at the Score at the Shore college showcase tournament in Tampa over the President's Day weekend. The Naples squad won their first match 2-0 over the American Girls on goals by Meaghan Barry and Alex Sheckler, tied eventual tournament runner-up Weston Fury 0-0 thanks to some athletic saves by keeper Alex McLay, and then lost 1-0 to West Pines on Sunday morning. A fourth, consolation, match against Plantation Eagles was won in penalty kick shootout after an early goal on a Steph McNamara free kick was equalized in the second half by the Eagles and regulation time ended 1-1.

U12 Girls Weston Invitational Champions! U13 & 16 Boys Finalists (February 19, 2008)

The Naples Sharks had a nice showing at the Weston President's Day tournament with the U12 Girls taking home first place honors. The U13 & U16 boys finished with second place honors.

Two Champions at SWFL Tournament (January 28, 2008)
The Sharks U12 boys-Owen and the U9 boys teams took first place honors at the Southwest Florida League Tournament at Kelly Road Fields in Ft. Myers January 26-27.

The U12 boys-Schomburg took second place honors.

Six teams advance in Region Cup (February 12, 2008)
Six teams from the club are advancing in Region Cup after the first weekend of competion for teams U13 and younger. The U10 and U11 White girls and the U13 White boys have reached the quarterfinals and the U10, U11 Red, and U12 Red boys are going on to the round of 16. All six teams won their brackets the opening weekend.

Two Champions at Kelme Florida Cup (January 24, 2008)
The Sharks U13 Red boys and the U15 girls teams took first place honors at the Kelme Florida Cup tournament held at North Collier Regional Park January 19-20.

The U13 Red team won their first match against Pinecrest 4-1, dropped their second to Weston Nike 1-2, and finished bracket play strong by outscoring Parkland 8-0. The Sharks managed to make amends for their earlier loss to the Weston squad by beating them 1-0 in the final.

The U15 girls went 4-0 for the weekend, defeating Elmont Youth from New York 5-0, West Pines 2-1, and CC United from Minnesota 3-2 in group play and then dropping Elmont 3-1 in the final.

OGGI OGGI OGGI Camps a huge success! (January 9, 2008)
Gavin Spooner hosted Naples Youth Soccer Club's first Oggi Oggi Oggi Soccer Camps over the winter break. In total over 60 players took part in the program.

Gavin was excited about the great attendance. "Winter break is not a traditional time frame for soccer camps and yet we had fantastic participation rates. To see so many Optimist and Sharks players was a joy."

The camps included days of mid 80's temperatures and days starting at 32 with a strong wind. "It was great to see so many happy faces even on the two coldest mornings in the area for nearly 20 years."

The camp staff included Gavin, Angelo Restrepo, a former Shark and current player at NCAA Division I Florida Gulf Coast University, and Ian Spooner a full time Director of Coaching for Greensboro Soccer Club in North Carolina and a former Divivion I women's college head coach. Gavin said "I've always tried to provide the very best coaches at the Oggi Oggi Oggi Camps. The kids go away remembering the camp cheer, the fun games and activities we do, but they also remember the great personalities and skills of the coaches that work with them."

The winter camps were the first in a series of year round camps that Gavin will provide for Naples Youth Soccer Club and Optimist players. Next up will be a spring break camp quickly followed by a weekly Schools of Excellence program.

In the summer several camps will be on offered including specialized skills camps as well as general soccer camps. "I'm looking forward to even more players attending over the rest of the year and continuing the tradition of excellence that the Oggi Oggi Oggi Soccer Camps has established over its 16 years in existence."

For more info on all Naples Youth Soccer's programs, camps and clinics please contact Gavin at doc@naplessoccer.com

Player receives league scholarship (January 4, 2008)
Camille Lewis, a longtime member of the U18 girls team, was recently awarded a $250 college scholarship by the Florida State League, one of several leagues under the auspices of the Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA). The Naples U18 team is the premier high school-aged girls club team in southwest Florida and competed this year in the college prep division of the Florida State League as well as the college premier division of the Florida United Girls Soccer Association (FLUGSA).

The scholarship recognizes sportsmanship, academic achievement, team spirit, and community service. Ms. Lewis has played with her Naples Sharks team since U12. She is a senior at Gulf Coast High School and a starter and letterwinner on the girls varsity team there. Congratulations, Cami!

Girls Teams Compete in the Orange Classic Tournament. The U18, U15, U14 and U12 Girls teams competed in the Orange Classic International Tournament over the holidays. The girls were able to showcase their talents to over 300 college coaches from Div. I, II, III and NAIA schools from around the country.