East County youth kick way to Region C Cup title

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Twelve-year-old goalkeeper Trevor Mulqueen lay flat on his back in the middle of the field, staring up in disbelief.

Trevor and his Clearwater Chargers at Lakewood Ranch U12 teammates had just went undefeated to win the coveted Region C Cup, which features teams from Naples to Orlando, in their first year together as a team.

The excitement, not to mention the fact that his entire team had dog-piled on top of him, left the Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School sixth-grader nearly at a loss for words.

“I was really happy,” Trevor said.

Twelve-year-old teammate Aristotle Zarris agreed.

“It was crazy, because this is our first year winning it as a team,” said Aristotle, who plays center midfield for the Chargers. “Last year, both teams lost in the semifinals, but I thought we had a pretty good chance.”

The team went 5-0 throughout the Region C Cup tournament March 31 through April 1, in Ft. Myers, outscoring its opponents 27-2 and defeating rival Tampa Bay United North 3-0 in the group stage.

“We were really confident after that,” Aristotle said.

With their Region C Cup victory, the team will face Tallahassee United in the Presidents Cup April 21-22, in Auburndale. The winner will face the winner of the game between the remaining two regions.

“They are a talented group of kids, who love the game, but love to practice and push themselves every week,” coach Tim Mulqueen said. “They understand that it’s about hard work. They also have a great camaraderie in the group. It’s a true team.”

The Chargers, who are in their first year playing as a team, already have won a handful of tournaments this season, but the players know their next game won’t be nearly as easy.

“It’s hard, but we can still win,” Trevor said. “We just have to play our normal style of soccer, which is fast-paced.”

But more than anything else, Mulqueen is hoping his players both enjoy and learn from the experience.

“I want the boys to enjoy the experience and play the game correctly,” he said. “The opponents will be very good, so we just want to play hard and smart. If we do that, regardless of the outcome, we have helped them in their development.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].