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Soccer tournament begins

July 02, 2009 @ 05:41 PM

HUNTINGTON — Thousands of people gathered at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Thursday afternoon as activities unfolded during the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region 1 Championship.

About 280 soccer teams from 13 states will compete in the boys and girls tournaments, and many began their celebrations early as part of Thursday’s opening ceremony.

“This is overwhelming. I knew it was going to be big, but I didn’t know how big until I got here,” said Lisa Caya, a soccer mom from eastern Pennsylvania.

Caya’s son Daniel, 16, plays this weekend as part of the tournament.

Before the opening ceremony began, many visitors kept themselves entertained with rock climbing walls and live music outside the stadium as others enjoyed cotton candy or posed for pictures.

Competition begins Friday for Under 12 to Under 19 teams on 16 fields in Barboursville Soccer Complex in Barboursville City Park and six fields in the Scott Orthopedic Soccer Complex at the Huntington YMCA Kennedy Center.

Each team plays three matches in a pool play format Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Semifinal matches are Monday, followed by the championships Tuesday.

Among the states represented are New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, West Virginia and Delaware. The tournament will come back to the region next summer as part of a two-year agreement.

Ossie Taylor, coach and director for the 1997 Region I championship team The West Virginia Rowdies, reaches to light the cauldron, signifying the start of the 2009 U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Tournament Thursday, July 2, 2009, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

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The cauldron at the south end of Joan C. Edwards Stadiums burns, signifying the start of the 2009 U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Tournament July 2, 2209.

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West Virginia is the first state to walk onto to Joan C. Edwards Stadium during the opening ceremonies for the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Tournament Thursday, July 2, 2009.

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The torch is carried by members of the 1997 Region I championship team The West Virginia Rowdies during opening ceremonies of the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Tournament July 2, 2009, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

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Parents and fans participate in the wave during opening ceremonies of the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Tournament July 2, 2009, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

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Lisa Caya, mother, and Mia, 4, and Andrea, 13, attend opening ceremonies for the US Youth Soccer Tournament on Thurdsay, July 2, 2009, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. They came from eastern Pennsylvania for the tournament. Caya's son Daniel, 16, is competing in the tournament.

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Ally Grossman, left, Claire Jenets, Izzy Latour, Lindsay DeStefano, Cortney OÕConnell, Andi Sullivan, and Anna Cerf, of Bethesda, Md., socialize before the opening ceremony of the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region 1 Championship in Huntington on Thursday.

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Terrell Whitting, Jon Creem and Colin Doody, of Farmington, Conn., wait for the opening ceremony of the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region 1 Championship to begin in Huntington on Thursday.

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Kayla Cunningham, 14, and mother Tammi Cunningham, of Allentown, Pa., enjoy activities before the opening ceremony of the US Youth Soccer Region 1 Championship in Huntington on Thursday.

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