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Four Beachside Soccer Club teams begin action Friday in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1 championships in Hershey, Pa. The teams from the Westport-based club qualified by winning state competitions last month. Beachside teams include players from many Fairfield County communities, and Norwalk's Mickey Kydes is the director of the program.
Beachside's under-12, under-15, under-16 and under-17 teams will begin play Friday. The U12s begin at 9:15 a.m. against the PFA Predators of Pennsylvania. The U15s begin at 3 p.m. against the Bayside FC Bolts from Rhode Island. The U16s play at 1:15 p.m. against Bruno United of Rhode Island. The U17s, coached by Kydes, play at 3 p.m. against a team from West Virginia.
The Beachside U12s are coached by Mark Alves. Chris Laughton, Norwalk High's soccer coach, directs the U15s. Stamford's Pete Doneit coaches the U16s.
The 16s are a pre-tournament favorite, having reached the regional final two straight years. It lost to eventual national champion Baltimore Bays in overtime. "That was the third or fourth time we had played the Bays, and each time, we got more and more competitive against them," Doneit said on ESPN Rise. "It proved to the kids that when we play our game we can compete with anyone."
The tournament runs through the weekend. The finals are scheduled for Tuesday.
How do you think Beachside teams will fare this weekend? Start the discussion below!
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