Some of the best local soccer players gathered together despite their Patriot League rivalries and achieved one common goal.
Athletes from Silver Lake, Plymouth North and Duxbury and several other local schools came together while playing for the Liverpool International Academy of Massachusetts. Ultimately, the best talent the area had to offer was good enough to win the US Club Soccer National Championship in the Under-16 bracket.
The Liverpool club dominated their competition in the tournament, outscoring their foes 18-1 in the regional tournament. They competed in New Jersey during the regional part of the tournament, but the championship game against FC Europa was held at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana.
In order to get there, however, Liverpool really needed to battle.
Against Bruno United, Liverpool was down 2-0 with 12 minutes left, but they were able to put up three goals to stay alive in the tournament.
In the regional championship game against GPS New Hampshire. injuries were a problem for the Liverpool team during the tournament. They were missing five players during their bout, but they still had enough depth to prevail. A strong save from Justin Keating in the final seconds of the game kept Liverpool’s season alive.
Fellow Lakers Pat McMahon and Alex Loyd also competed for the Massachusetts Liverpool team during their championship run. Last year, McMahon led the Patriot League in scoring despite being a sophomore.
Since they were able to contribute to a team that proved they were the best in their respective bracket at the national level, it is safe to expect Keating, McMahon and Loyd to have productive years for the Lakers this fall.
Their Liverpool team was coached by Plymouth North head coach John Tocci. This fall, however, the Lakers players will be back to playing against him and meeting him and his team as rivals.