Vineyard players help CSU advance at Mass State Cup soccer tourney

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Three local soccer players, Gabriel Ambulos, John Gonzalves, and Nevin Wallis, competed last weekend in the round robin bracket of the Massachusetts State Cup Tournament for the Plymouth based soccer club Crusaders Stingrays United (CSU). The team is affiliated with Liverpool FC of the Barclay’s Premier League in England.

The CSU Under-14 team, with Gabriel Ambulos a starting defensive back and John Gonzalves in goal, defeated second-seeded AC Arlington, 3-0, and Euro United, 4-0, to remain undefeated in four games of state cup play. The U-14s advanced to the semifinals, to be played May 30 against the Mass Premier Soccer (MPS) Crusaders Elite team. The U-14s are currently undefeated in league play, conceding just six goals in 22 matches. In 2015, the team will compete in the elite Region 1 Northeast League.

Nevin Wallis, starting midfielder for the U-15 CSU team, saw his team’s hopes for a semifinal berth dashed after losing a hard-fought battle to the MPS Bulldogs on Saturday. The team rebounded, defeating Benfica on Sunday.

The Mass State Cup brings together some of the best U-13 to U-19 teams in Massachusetts. The winner of each age/gender grouping is declared the State Champion and goes on to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1 Championships. Regional winners then go on to play in the U.S. Youth National Championships.