Beadling ’03 boys’ impressive run is ‘something special’

Photo courtesy Beadling Soccer Club

In sports, there have been some great teams go on runs and winning streaks. The 71-72 Lakers won 33 straight, the ‘72 Dolphins and ’07 Patriots won 16 straight in the NFL, and Major League Baseball’s 1916 New York Giants once won 26 in a row.

Even beyond winning streaks come something special — and the Beadling ‘03 Boys are on something special. Recently the boys from Beadling Soccer Club won their third straight Eastern (fka Region I) Regional Championship in Barboursville, WV on July 4, 2019. 

They went 5-1-0 this year. That one loss was the first time they were defeated at regional’s after 12 straight region wins from 2017 through 2019. Beadling defeated seventh ranked Baltimore Celtic on Got Soccer 5-2 to earn the title.

By winning the USYS Eastern Regional Championship, Beadling ’03 boys have earned a spot in the USYS National Championships in Overland Park, KS.

Beadling had already earned their spot by winning their bracket at the USYS National League events at Wilson, NC in December and Las Vegas in March.

Did I mention they are the National Championship Finalist in 2018 and 2017?

These are just part of the reason they are on a special run.

No other team from Western PA has ever been to the finals of the USYS National Championship game. The only other teams to make it to National Championships, all girl teams, 

Beadling SC Thunder in 2014, North United Rush 2002 in 2018, Century United 2000 in 2018 and Beadling 98’s in 2015 and 2016 where they were a semi-finalist.

For Beadling there has been a common thread in the three teams that have gone onto play at nationals and that’s having coach Rob Fabean at the helm.

Rob watched his daughter Melea and the Beadling SC Thunder at Nationals in 2014. Rob was the head coach of the 98 Beadling girls who went to two straight National Championships finishing as a semi-finalist in 2016.

Now, Fabean is the head coach of the Beadling boys who are on their 3rd straight trip to the Nationals all while coaching his son Mason. He is not the only Rob at Beadling to do it either. Assistant coach Rob Eldridge (South Fayette High School Boys) has been right along his side for all three runs to the nationals and coaching his son Chad Eldridge, a rising junior at South Fayette.  

This success carries over to high school for many of their players as well. Last year six Beadling players either played in or won a WPIAL title and made it as far as the PIAA semi-finals. Three of them were part of PIAA state title winning teams.

Anthony Difalco (2022) Franklin Regional – WPIAL Champions / PIAA Semi-Finalist

Jake Sciorilli (2021) – Franklin Regional – WPIAL Champion / PIAA Semi-Finalist

Joe Pustover (2022) – West Allegheny – WPIAL runner-up / PIAA Champion

Will Douglas (2022) –  West Allegheny WPIAL runner-up / PIAA Champion

Jaxon Ervin (2022) – West Allegheny WPIAL runner-up / PIAA Champion

Chase Thomas (2021) – Seneca Valley WPIAL Champions PIAA Semi-Finalist

The team covers a large section of Western Pennsylvania and even a player from Ohio. Along with the players named previously above, the team is accompanied by:

Joe Fonagy (2021) Canon MacMillan

Austin Marmol (2022) Peters Township

Ethan Sanders (2021) South Fayette

Brock Pickett (2021) Cleveland, OH

Mason Fabean (2022) Greensburg Central Catholic

Zach Panza (2022) Hampton

Chad Elridge (2021) South Fayette

RJ Stetz (2021) Montour

Cyrus Khani (2021) Upper St. Clair

Owen Maher (2021) Canon McMillan

AJ Getsy (2022) Thomas Jefferson

 

 

Here’s more with Fabean, as we spoke about this special team, and its current, impressive run.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now – What are your thoughts starting off with a rematch of last year’s national championship game versus LVSA?

Rob Fabean: “I think how the game ended last year, with us playing a man down the last 30 minutes of the second half, the team will have some built up determination to end this game with a different outcome.” 

PSN – What has this 3 year run meant to you as a coach and a father?

RF – It’s an incredible feeling to see the success of the team as a whole. Having my son be a part of that adds an extra special feeling to it. It’s just great to see all the hard work that these boys put in day after day to be rewarded with these types of opportunities.

PSN – You have watched a team grow up in front of your eyes. What changes have you seen over those three years?

RF – Definitely a more mature attitude. We like to refer to these trips as business trips and at first I don’t think they fully grasped that concept. But now three years later they understand the importance of these games for them personally, for the team and for the club as a whole. They understand they are playing for all of those who came before them and all that will come after them.

PSN – Besides winning the National Championship, what are you hoping your players can take from their run of National Championship runs?

RF – Hopefully we will be fortunate enough this year to win the National Championship, as that will be a tremendous accomplishment. I also hope that they learn some valuable lessons from these experiences, such as the rewards for hard work, what it means to be a good teammate and respect for the game. Not many players get the opportunity that these boys have had and I want them to know that none of this was given to them, they earned all of it.

We’ll be watching closely, as this group will head west for Overland Park, KS, where they will partake in the National Championship luncheon and the introduction of the trophies for each age group both boys and girls.

The games will start July 23, 2019, as they meet a familiar foe, in a rematch versus the National Champion LVSA 03 from Nevada, to start things off.

From there they will match up with teams from Seattle United and the Milwaukee Bavarians.

If all goes well they will continue to play Saturday July 27, 2019 in the semi-finals and Sunday the 28th in the finals.