The Andover Soccer Association equaled its club record achieved in 2011 by again placing 12 teams in the Essex County Youth Soccer Association championship tournament, known as the "Pingree" tournament. Two of these teams, the U14 Boys Div. 2 Warriors and the U14 Girls Div. 1 Shock both won their respective age groups for Essex County and will head to the state championship this weekend.
The Shock has been the Essex County YSA tournament champion three years running, an all-time record for that association.
In the county tournament the Warriors won 4-0 over Middleton, 4-0 over Beverly and 3-0 over Lynnfield in the final.
ASA is the largest club in Essex County and the fifth largest in Massachusetts, fielding over 1,600 players each season.
Each spring, the ECYSA tournament caps the end of the youth soccer year for the various Essex County town clubs. ECYSA Division 1 and Division 2 champions are invited to the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association "Tournament of Champions" to be held at Progin Park in Lancaster, Mass. next weekend, to vie for the title of state champion. The U14 Boys Div. 3 Crew and the U12 Boys Div. 3 Lasers both won their respective age groups in Essex County. Those Div. 3 teams are county champions but do not compete for a state title.
Andover teams that were tournament finalists were the U16 Girls Div. 2 Team Attack, U14 Girls Div. 2 Team Dynamo and U12 Girls Div. 3 Team Piranhas.
Semifinalists were the U12 Boys Div. 1 Team Titans; quarter-finalists were the U14 Boys Div. 3 Team Sparks, and the U12 Boys Div. 2 Team Strikers; and qualifiers were the U14 Girls Div. 2 Team Cyclones, and the U14 Girls Div. 3 Team Fever.
