The NJ Stallions Academy U15 Boys, coached by Julio Cesar, came tantalizingly close to winning it all as they battled local rivals, TSF Academy X in the Finals of the NJ State Cup.  After taking care of business in a tightly contested 3-2 win over Bloomfield in the Semi-finals, settled by a last minute pinpoint drive by Scott Halper, the NJ Stallions boys moved into the Finals against TSF Academy X.

The NJ Stallions controlled possession for long periods then finally broke the deadlock with a well taken second half strike by Will Woodfin.  TSF struck back to level the score, and two periods of extra time could not separate the teams.  In the end it came down to penalty kicks.  The boys acquitted themselves well throughout the tournament, knocking out top ranked teams in New Jersey to get to the Finals.  The experience will give them confidence as they head into a challenging Super Y season with more big games to come.  “It’s really impressive how they’ve improved since last year”, said Coach Cesar. ” Their performance against the top ranked TSF X team, dominating possession and creating scoring chances in the final, was proof of that”, he added.  “We’ll have to work even harder to perform well to have a productive Super Y season”.