Winning the Orlando City Cup was a quality reward for what the OCYS Apopka (APK) U17 Boys Competitive Recreational team has been working for since the beginning of the fall Greater Central Florida (GCF) season.
The U17s recently made the leap up to Division 1, after dominating their first official campaign as a team in the 2013 spring season. The fall schedule paired OCYS APK against some of the top teams in the division, presenting a difficult task for the Lions.
Nonetheless, the U17s battled their way through early on in the season, finishing as a much stronger team heading into the Orlando City Cup.
During the OCYS tournament, OCYS APK went undefeated in pool play as they focused on playing simple and smart soccer while remaining healthy for the championship match on Sunday.
The U17s were paired up against Clermont in the final, marking their third meeting in seven days. In true Orlando City fashion, the championship match was as dramatic as ever – leading to a decision on penalty-kicks after Bradley Sisk equalized the match for the Lions in extra time.
City Goalkeeper Jorge Santana produced an incredible penalty-kick performance, parrying several Clermont efforts. Eric Zaragoza tucked away the final effort for OCYS, propelling the Lions to secure the championship.
“We are proud to see the recreational side grow not only with numbers but talent as well,” said Recreational Program Director Chris Impellitier. “It's an exciting time to be a part of Orlando City and witness a change in competitive recreational soccer right before our eyes.”
