The Columbus Express 2008 Boys Orange team celebrates its Indiana Presidents Cup Championship June 5 at Grand Park in Westfield.
Submitted photo
The Columbus Express 2008 Boys Orange team wasn’t the favorite to win the Indiana Presidents Cup 14-and-under division, but that didn’t stop it from bringing home the title.
The Orange avenged a loss from pool play in the semifinals, then rolled to a 4-0 win against Southern Indiana United from New Albany in the final at Grand Park in Westfield to advance to this week’s US Youth Soccer Midwest Presidents Cup in St. Louis.
“I think it’s a step forward, a lot of motivation for the upcoming games,” center back Brody Johnson said. “We won this, and we weren’t really supposed to win. We’re confident.”
Johnson, who will be an eighth-grader at Northside Middle School, and forward Aarav Nihalani, who is still deciding where he will play high school soccer as a freshman this fall, are the team captains. They’ve been focused on winning on the Presidents Cup since losing in the semifinals last year.
“It was great for us,” Nihalani said. “We worked really hard for this. This past year, it’s just been all eyes on the Presidents Cup, and to go and win that meant a lot to all of us. We’ve grown as a team. We’ve been able to come together and possess the ball, and on the field, we’ve really created a brotherhood, and we’re always there for each other. If somebody gets knocked down, we help them up. If something goes wrong, we make sure we correct it, so that’s really helped us be better.”
The Columbus Express 2008 Boys Orange team won the Indiana Presidents Cup Championship June 5 at Grand Park in Westfield. Team members include, front row from left, DeMario Jimenez, Owen Munn, Nick Mann, Tanner Miller, Angel Espejel, Aarav Nihalani, Colin Jackson; and back row, coach Sam LaVelle, John Harris, Eduardo Aranda Michel, Will Jamerson, Jesus Emilio Quintero Aguirre, Alfredo Madero, Ryder Meek, Brody Johnson, Jonathan Sylva and coach Ty Smith.
Submitted photo
The Orange went 2-1 in pool play with a loss to USAI from Avon. Those teams met again in the semifinals, and the Orange pulled out a 1-0 victory.
“They were a good team,” Orange coach Sam LaVelle said. “They’re really physical. They’re bigger, stronger, faster than us, and the first game, we just couldn’t match it. The second game, we knew what they were coming with, and we were able to handle it and possess the ball a little bit more, and we were able to get a couple more chances on goal and ended up finishing them.”
This spring, the Orange went 3-4-1 to finish fourth out of eight teams in the top division of Indiana Soccer. The team had earned a promotion after finishing runner-up in the second division last season.
“It was our first season being in that top division, so for us to show out and get fourth place was a really good finish for us,” LaVelle said. “We’ve had a really good season. We’ve been able to hold our own and do all right against some teams that we really weren’t supposed to beat. A year ago, we really weren’t supposed to be where we are now, so we’ve proved a lot of people wrong.”
Nihalani and Angel Espejel are forwards and leading scorers. Johnson and Eduardo Aranda Michel anchor the defense at center back. Tanner Miller and Jesus Emilio Quintero Aguirre solidify the midfield.
“They’ve done a really good job for us this year,” LaVelle said. “They’ve held down the fort us in the midfield, which has been really awesome. This team has been awesome to work with. They’re a great group of kids. They’ve all been really good this year.”
The Orange open regional play at 2 p.m. Thursday against DASC from South Dakota, then will play at Minnesota Rush from Barbosa, Minnesota, at 2 p.m. Friday and Madison (Wisconsin) 56ers at 2 p.m. Saturday. The semifinals are Sunday, and the final is on Monday.
The Midwest winner advances to the US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup July 7-10 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“I think we can do good,” Nihalani said. “As long as we come out ready to play, we should be able to stick with the teams and show what we have.”
“I think we have a decent shot,” LaVelle added. “It just depends on if we show up ready to play. We have a good group of kids that are really fun to work with. I think we can make some magic happen in St. Louis.”
