2003 State Cup

2003 State Cup Wrap Up
Winning five championships last year set a very high standard for this year’s Lightning teams. Though not quite as successful, the club still had a very good showing overall. Only two champions this time around, but three teams lost in the finals and three in the semis. Whenever we think about the 2003 State Cup, the first thing that comes to mind is rain. Games were held once again in Columbus, Ga. But even their fields were no match for the weather. Games were played in downpours, some were played on soggy fields and some were not played at all. Constant rescheduling was the order of the day with patience and understanding being the most important virtues everyone had to display.		U12's Lost on Penalties
U17 Final Action	Round robin games, scheduled for June 6th, 7th and 8th did not get completed until June 14th. This pushed the semifinals in most ages back to June 15th and the finals to the 16th. The under 13 age group was not even completed until June 21st! Getting through to the semifinals, the U12 Boys, AFC Lightning 91 Gold, lost a heartbreaker on penalties after being tied 2-2 with the Cobb FC Chiefs through regulation and extra time. AFC Lightning 88 Premier lost the U15 semifinal to eventual champions Atlanta Fire. The U18 Girls, AFC Lightning 85 White, also lost in the semifinals, though their games were played in January.
Going through to the U16 finals, last year’s U15 Boys champion AFC Lightning 87 Premier lost this time around to Concorde. The U17 AFC Lightning 86 Premier lost their final to Atlanta Fire and defending U18 champs AFC Lightning 84 Gold lost the U19 final 2-1 on a Golden Goal in overtime to GSA Phoenix Red. Last year Lightning won in a marathon penalty shootout that lasted through 19 rounds with a total of 38 kicks taken. In the U13 age group AFC Lightning 90 Gold, coached by Kenny West, had to wait until June 21st to play their semifinal and final games. In the semifinal they beat Stone Mountain 2-1. The final was against a highly favored TYSA team that had dominated the U13 age group so much that they were allowed to play up in U14 this spring. Lightning turned the tables on them this time around, building up a 3-0 lead before giving up a late goal to win the championship 3-1.

AFC Lightning 90 Gold - 2003 U13 State Champions front: Sean Grisham, Garrett Harper, Gray Phelps, Matt Thompson, Jesy Phelps, Josh Hale, Andy Debusk, back: Coach Kenny West, Brian Forero, Sam Martin, Derick Farnsworth, Michael Knight, Ryan Madura, Zach Taylor, Pat Bugara.

Sloshing through the mud	The U15 AFC Lightning 88 White has been the state champion since U13. Last year at U14 they won the State and the Southern Region championships and finished third at Nationals. This year after a coaching change the question was, could they do it again? Tophat, their archrivals, had picked up some new players and were looking very good. They have been the only U15 team in the state to beat Lightning recently. The 88’s won their semifinal 3-0 against Coastal Georgia on a sloppy field setting up the expected clash with Tophat in the final. Last year at U14 the two had also played each other in a very close game. Lightning won that one 1-0 in overtime. This time, Tophat went up 1-0 from a free kick in the middle of the first half. Lightning answered with a goal from a corner kick just before half time. In the first minute of the second half, Lightning scored again from another corner kick and few minutes later went up 3-1 from a third corner kick. With Tophat pushed up to try to score, Lightning scored twice on counter attacks to win by a final score of 5-1.
Speaking about the coaching change, Charlie Morgan said that in August he told the players that the only thing he could do was to mess up a good team. With their state cup win, he guessed he had not messed it up too badly.

AFC Lightning 88 White - 2003 U15 State Champions front: Jenny Ross, Staci Pugh middle: Aubry Ireland, Malorie Rutledge, Caroline Austin, Brittany Schneider, Beth Meadors, Kasey Warren, Leslie McConnell, Wesley Thompson, Adrienne, Garofalo back: Bryan McDermott (Asst. Coach), Adrienne Phillips, Katie Jacobsen, Kelley O’Hara, Jamie Daley, Tannah Castro, Christy Barrow, Charlie Morgan (Coach)

The U15 girls will go on to the Southern Regionals. Games begin on June 27th in Greensboro, NC. They will have a very tough group to play in as they try to make it to Nationals once again. For the rest of the Lightning teams, a long season is now over. For more information about the club, call their office at 770 460-8070 or go their web site, www.afclightning.org.