The Santa Barbara Soccer Club’s Boys ‘93 White team lost a heartbreaker Sunday in the U.S. Youth Soccer Presidents Cup Under-15 Boys Finals in Raleigh, N.C. Previously unbeaten Santa Barbara fell to the South Texas Thunder United, 1-0.
The Santa Barbara squad earned a berth in the finals by beating St. Louis, 4-0, on Saturday. Ricky Lopez scored in the 43rd minute, Troy Ritter extended the lead to 2-0, and Erick Cordova kicked in goals in the 60th and 68th minutes.
Earlier in the tournament, the team opened play with a 4-1 victory over Texas before beating New York, 1-0, to set up the showdown with St. Louis.
The Santa Barbara team, champions of the Presidents Cup West Coast Regionals, is coached by Neil Jones.
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— Ward Ritter is manager of the Santa Barbara Soccer Club.