Four teams from Southwest Washington have qualified for the semifinals of the Washington Youth Soccer Founders Cup state tournament.
Two of the teams are from Pacific FC and two teams are from Washington Timbers.
The teams will play semifinal matches on Saturday at the Starfire Complex in Tukwila. Winners of Saturday’s semifinals will play championship matches on Sunday.
One of four state tournaments staged by Washington Youth Soccer, the Founders Cup is the state tournament for developmental-level teams that do not advance beyond state tournament play.
The Pacific FC Strikers won on Sunday in the boys under-17 quarterfinals, beating the Mercer Island FC Whitecaps 4-1 at Ridgefield High School. Their semifinal match is at 4 p.m. Saturday against a Crossfire Select team.
The Pacific FC Breakers won on Saturday in the girls under-12 quarterfinals. They beat the Seattle United West Blue 1-0 in the match at Luke Jensen Sports Park in Vancouver. The Breakers face a Bellevue Youth Soccer team at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the semifinal round.
The under-14 boys Washington Timbers Burgundy team beat the South Tacoma United Eclipse 1-0 in a Saturday quarterfinal at the Harmony Sports Complex in Vancouver. Their semifinal will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against a Southlake Select squad.
The under-16 boys Washington Timbers Burgundy team clinched a spot in the semifinals by finishing second in their round-robin group. A 3-2 win at Newport FC on Sunday clinched the semifinal berth. The semifinal will be at 4 p.m. Saturday against a Crossfire Select team.
Strong start for equestrian teams
The Vancouver United and the Prairie High School equestrian teams each had five first-place results during their first meet of the 2016 Washington High School Equestrian Teams season.
Winners for Vancouver United were Hannah McDonald (showmanship), Natasha Flanery (individual flags and keyhole), Skylar Heermann (driving) and the working pairs team of Hailey Anderson and Kaitlyn Kukula.
For Prairie, Kylie Vroman won two individuals events (pole bending and figure eight), and was on first-place teams in the drill and the in-hand obstacle relay events. Courtney Kampe won in steer daubing.
Top 10 finishers for Vancouver United and for Prairie are listed in the Community Sports Scoreboard.
Results for the Evergreen United and Ridgefield teams from this meet were not submitted to The Columbian.
VEGA gymnasts win meet
A team from Vancouver elite Gymnastics Academy of Camas took first place in the Girls Xcel Gold Division at the Pacific Edge Invitational meet. The meet took place Friday through Sunday in Newport, Ore.
Individual results for VEGA gymnasts at several meets over the weekend are in the Community Sports Scoreboard.
Youth rugby teams prep for season
Battle Ground Youth Rugby is beginning training for its 2016 spring teams with sessions at 4:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays in the gym at Laurin Middle School.
Battle Ground Youth Rugby is fielding five coed non-contact teams, two teams for grades 3-4 and three for grades 5-6. There will also be two boys teams and one girls team competing in grades 7-8.
At the high school level, Battle Ground will have two boys teams and one girls team in 2016.
To learn more, contact: Brad Batten at batten.bradford@gmail.com or 360-771-4708 or Lance Henwood lance@althamhenwood.com or 913-515-4619.
Lacamas Knights rugby — A new youth rugby program is forming this spring to serve Camas and east Vancouver. The club plans to hold an introductory skills clinic for boys and girls in grades 3-8 on Feb. 27 at Cardon Field at Camas High School. To learn more about this club and about youth rugby in the region, visit rugbyoregon.com, or call Matt Murphy at 360-210-7706.
High school girls lacrosse offered
Camas Lacrosse is seeking players for a high school girls team scheduled to begin play in the spring.
This team is open to students from the Camas, Washougal and Vancouver school districts. The registration deadline is Feb. 10. To learn more, or to register, visit www.camaslacrosse.com.
COMMUNITY SPORTS NEWS is published each Tuesday. Submit items by sending email to paul.danzer@columbian.com or call 360-735-4521.
