Coach Cedric Marshall, Asst Coach Tim Pogue, Christian Duncan, Michael Lee,
Ryan Kangiser, Chandler McCoy, Jonah Griswold, Simon Willis, Trey Fench,
Grant Dupertuis, Michael Santaloci, Slaymon Shukoor, Ryan Butterfield, Adam Kangiser. 

What a great tournament it was for TSC 97 Elite! After going 1-1 in group play on Saturday, TSC 97 Elite qualified for the semi-finals on Sunday morning. Winning the semi-final game against a tough Dacula team placed them in the final where the boys from Henry County played their hearts out, only to come up short in the waning minutes of the second overtime period.

TSC 97 EliteÕs journey began on Saturday afternoon against Hall County Stars-Black. Trey Fench opened up the scoring in the first half to put TSC up by 1. The Stars came back shortly after with the equalizer. Ryan Butterfield closed out the half with a goal to put the Henry County team up for good. With only minutes remaining, Adam Kangiser, TSC goalkeeper, stopped a scoring threat by the Stars that seemed to spark two more goals in the final minute for TSC. Grant Dupertuis found the open net to make it 3-1 and Christian Duncan finished up the scoring with a rocket shot for a final of 4-1.

The second game on Friday was against TSCÕs nemesis, Alpharetta Ambush Red, the #1 team in Georgia, and the #16 team in the nation. Alpharetta went into the half with a 3-0 lead; but that didnÕt stop the determination of TSCÕs team. After a quick goal by Alpharetta in the opening minutes of the second half, Coach Cedric Marshall made some necessary adjustments. The result was a much stingier defense and a goal by Ryan Butterfield with other goal scoring opportunities just missing. Although the game ended in a 4-1 loss, the confidence level seemed to build throughout the second half against a very strong team.

The semi-final game was played against the winner of Group B, Dacula 97 White. Dacula relied on the strong play of their two top players. TSCÕs defense made up of Simon Willis, Michael Santaloci, and Ryan Kangiser met the challenge without allowing a serious scoring threat. TSC won the match 7-0. Goal scorers were Grant Dupertuis, Trey Fench, Jonah Griswold, Chandler McCoy, Ryan Butterfield (2), and Slaymon Shukoor.

The final was a rematch against the Alpharetta team that had beaten TSC just a day before. TSC players wanted the rematch to prove that they belong with the top teams in the state. Coach Cedric made some adjustments that proved to be right. After 28 minutes of scoreless soccer, Adam Kangiser, TSCÕs goalkeeper, came out to make a play on a break-away. Narrowly missing the ball, Adam fouled the oncoming Alpharetta player, leading to his ejection. This would have seemed to be devastating to TSCÕs hopes because Adam had made several saves early in the match that helped keep the game scoreless. That was not the case.

Playing a man down, Ryan Butterfield filled in as goalkeeper and played inspiringly as did the rest of the team. TSC took a lead early in the second half with a goal from Grant Dupertuis. Alpharetta tied it up soon thereafter, finishing up the scoring in regulation. The game remained tied well into the second overtime period when a loose ball within TSCÕs penalty box ended up in the net to put Alpharetta up, 2-1. Shortly thereafter, Grant Dupertuis took a ball through the Alpharetta defense and shot only to have AlpharettaÕs goalkeeper make a game-saving stop.

TSC 97 Elite finished up as finalists of the 2009 Cobb Classic Soccer Tournament. Taking the stateÕs top team to double overtime while playing shorthanded is something we will never forget. We may have finished the tournament as finalists, but we begin the season believing that we belong!