LED BY THE MIAA’S SOCCER FUTURE, THE U-14 CASA MIA BAYS WIN A NATIONAL YOUTH SOCCER TITLE

Fueled by the next wave of young talent to flash their skills on MIAA soccer pitches, the Baltimore Casa Mia Bays U-14 soccer team capped its first trip to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships with a 2-1 overtime win over West Coast FC, on Saturday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, to claim the Boys U-14 national title.

Playing for Steve Nichols, their high school head coach, McDonogh’s
Mamadou Kansaye and Marquez Fernandez scored the Baltimore goals in the
final. In addition, Geaton Caltabiano, a rising sophomore at Mount St.
Joseph, capped a strong tournament by assisting on Fernandez’s overtime
game-winner, in the 98th minute of the contest.

Also playing a major role for the Bays was Loyola goalkeeper Tim
Pietsch, who started on varsity as a freshman for the Dons. Pietsch,
who Nichols described as “brilliant,” won the Golden Gloves award as
the top goalkeeper in the national tournament.

â??This team is brilliant and we’re going to get a lot better,” said
Nichols. “These kids already have great talent and a solid foundation,
but as they grow and gain experience, their future will get even
brighter.

“We have all the way through the U-19’s, so I expect this group to be
here [the nationals] several more times. They have to keep working
hard and improving, but they have a chance to be very special.”

Overall, the Bays were 3-0-1 at the nationals. In their first game, an
injury time goal by West Coast FC, provided the only blemish as the two
teams played to a 1-1 tie. Kansaye scored the Baltimore goal in that
contest, last Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, Caltabiano scored the
game winning goals in victories over Chicago, 2-1, and Raleigh, North
Carolina, 1-0, as the Bays claimed their spot in the final.

Marquez Fernandez
(Photo by Susan Shaffer)

Also representing the MIAA on the U-14 Bays were Joseph Meyer, Julian Griggs, Logan McHugh and Moses Makinde of McDonogh; Iaonnis Sarioglou of Calvert Hall, Daniel Gaj of Archbishop Spalding, Joe Cahalan of Gilman, Elliott Andelman of Loyola and Trevor Kiddy of Boys’ Latin.

Nichols, along with assistants Kevin Healey and Brandon Quaranta, also led the U-19 Bays to Frisco, as they sought a record tying third national title, but it was not to be. The team, which included eight former MIAA players, went 1-2 in bracket play and was eliminated from the final.