Published Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:33 AM
Updated Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:34 AM

 

Footballers converge on Summerville

Devin L’Amoreaux shinned during the annual Bridge Invitational tournament, helping his team to victory and earning the opportunity to see a soccer legend live.

The Bridge Futbol Alliance and Summerville Soccer Club hosted nearly 150 teams this weekend during the annual soccer tournament. Thousands of soccer players age 9-16 competed in the tournament, which featured 26 different divisions. Games where held at several locations, including the Summerville Soccer Club, Fort Dorchester High School, Dogwood Park and Charleston Southern University

Local teams held their own with five Summerville teams making the finals for their division and three of those earning a tournament championship. A local footballer also took home the top prize in the Red Bull Futbol de Calle freestyle competition.

L’Amoreaux, a member of the Bridge Futbol Alliance 93 Gold team, combined fancy footwork with creativity to win the freestyle competition. The River Oaks Middle School student juggled and balanced his way to the first-place prize of a free trip to New York to see the Red Bulls take on the L.A. Galaxy, led by soccer superstar David Beckham.

The 14-year-old edged out his Bridge teammate, Nestor Jaramillo, for the prize. L’Amoreaux, who has played soccer since he was 4, says the key to being a good freestyler is simple.

 “I practice every day,” he said. “Learning a trick is hard at first, but with practice they get easier. Nestor and I do our tricks together all the time so I felt like I had a shot at winning.”

Their U14 team jumped up an age group for the tournament to play in the Boys’ U15 Gold division. The Bridge FA 93 earned a pair of 2-0 shutouts in the second and fourth rounds and came out on top 2-1 in the fifth round to win the division. The Summerville Arsenal won the Boys’ U9 Gold division with a 7-4 victory over the Mt. Pleasant B Strikers in the finals. In the Boys’ U11 Gold division, the Summerville Predators fell 5-1 to the Mt. Pleasant Elite in the finals.

Three Summerville girls’ teams made the semi-finals. In the Girls’ U13 Gold division, the Bridge FA 94 defeated Charlotte SA 1-0 to advance to the finals. The FA 94 then won the championship game by a 1-0 margin over North Meck 94 Red out of North Carolina.

The Summerville 97 Spartans fell to the Mt. Pleasant G White in the championship game for the Girls’ U10 Gold division. In the Girls’ U12 Gold 8v8 division the Summerville Spirit fell 1-2 to James Island in the semifinals.

On both Saturday and Sunday, members of the Red Bull Wiingers professional freestlye team entertained the crowd. They also served as the judges for the tournament freestyle contest.