The Seacoast United Girls Academy 14U soccer team will travel to Virginia this week to compete in the GA National Finals, qualifying as one of the best eight teams in its respective age group.
The single-elimination tournament in Richmond begins Thursday, July 9.
Seacoast United will open up in the quarterfinals against City SC 12G, with every team guaranteed to play at least three games while in Virginia. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday.
“We’ve been going since August of 2025 until now,,” head coach Joey Barima said. “It’s a long season and at the start of the season, the goal was to make playoffs. Obviously there’s a lot of things that can factor into that … they’re a determined and resilient group, and from the fall season to the spring season, they’ve grown and grown and their resilience has shown through and they ended up making (the finals). It’s a real good accomplishment for them and I’m proud of them.”
Girls Academy Director Chris Scott said it was a “phenomenal achievement” for the team, as Seacoast United finished top three in the Northeast Conference.
“It’s a massive accomplishment to work your way through a year-long schedule and finish in the top three positions of your conference,” Scott said. “And then, to progress out of your group and beat the (No. 4) seed in the last 16 knock-out round is an excellent achievement. Competing in the National Finals is a first in our club history, and as a club and program we are so proud of all the girls. We hope our community and the communities that the girls live in will join us in wishing them the best of luck in Virginia.”
The Seacoast United team features 15 girls from across Maine and New Hampshire.
To get to nationals, Seacoast United was out in Norco, California two weeks ago in the playoffs. And in a group of four, the top two teams advanced to the Round of 32. Seacoast United won its playoff game, winning 1-0 against Coppermine SC, from Baltimore, Maryland, in overtime to advance to Virginia and the Nationals.
In the Nationals, a Seacoast United win will advance the team into Friday’s semifinal round while a loss will send Seacoast United to the consolation bracket.
“They’re a really competitive team and they thrive under pressure and these types of environments,” Barima said. “So, I feel like it’s going to be the same for them going down there. There will be nerves obviously … I think they perform better when they’re nervous.”
Barima added “it’s a step in the righ direction” for the program.
“It’s our first team ever in program history to reach this phase of the playoffs,” Barima said, adding this is a full year-round team. “With that many games, it’s not a fluke. You can have a bit of luck along the way but they’ve definitely earned it and deserve to get to where they’ve gotten to.”
Seacoast United posted a 19-5-2 record for a third place finish in its conference. NEFC 12G, another team from New England, placed first in the conference with a 21-2-3 record, and will also be in Virginia at Nationals.
The other eight teams in the 14U Finals include HTX 12G, City SC 12G White, NEFC 12G Red, Indy Premier SC 12G, SJEB FC 12G, Lamorinda SC 12G and Midwest United 12G.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast United 14U girls soccer team headed to National Finals
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