Auburn Thunder is offering a four week free clinic to Auburn Thunder players to get them on the field during the off-season. Dress warm and bring a ball, water, cleats, and shinguards (we will play small sided games). The clinic will be offered every Thursday from January 14 - February 4 at the Auburn Soccer Complex on Wire Road. The first clinic (January 14) will be from 6:30-8:00 with the others scheduled for 5:00-6:30. Stay tuned to the website for any changes to this schedule due to weather.

The Auburn Thunder U11 Boys took 2nd place in the top U11 bracket at the Lake Norman Soccer Classic north of Charlotte on November 21-22. After a miserable 9-0 loss to the host club on Saturday morning, the Thunder rebounded with a 2-1 win Saturday afternoon against the Cape Fear (NC) Breakers. They followed it up with 2 wins on Sunday to finish the tourney at 3-1. The first win Sunday was 3-1 against the West Virginia Rowdies, and they finished the day out in the rain with a 5-0 over the Catawba Valley (NC) Blast Youth Soccer Association club.

On the weekend, Vince Hume had 4 goals, while Eduardo Naranjo, Avery Atkins and Matthew Kisor each had 2 goals. Matthew also handled the majority of the goalie duties on the weekend as he was in goal for a total of 6 halves while Avery took care of the other 2 halves. The Thunder will return to action in February.

ODP tryout registration begins Tuesday, December 1st. The state website describes ODP: "The US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program was formed in 1977 to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a National Team will be selected for international competition; to provide high-level training to benefit and enhance the development of players at all levels; and, through the use of carefully selected and licensed coaches, develop a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and curriculum to improve all levels of coaching."

More information about this excellent program can be found at the AYSA ODP Site. For those of you who still have more questions concerning this program, we will host an informational meeting on Tuesday, December 8th at 6:00 in the Wire Road Complex building. If you are unable to make the meeting, please e-mail any and all questions you may have about ODP and how it can enhance your child's soccer development.

Congratulations to Adrienne Stevens of Montgomery! She won the raffle for the 4 Iron Bowl tickets this year. The winning ticket was sold by Vince Hume of the U11 Boys. Tiger fans will be happy to know that Adrienne is an Auburn fan! Thanks to everyone who helped make this fundraiser a success.

The Under 10 Girls finish second in their division at the Governor's Cup in Decatur on November 13-15. Auburn got off to a great start on Saturday with a 5-0 victory over the VFC Rockets. They went on to defeat the River City Raptors 8-1 on Saturday evening. In a hard fought game, Thunder fell short to the Capital City Streaks of Montgomery 4-3.

The Alabama Youth Soccer Association will host the Division I State Cup beginning Friday November 6 at Jack Allen Park in Decatur. The best U16 women’s soccer teams in the state will compete for the title, which will last over a two weekend period.

In the U16 division, the following teams have qualified for the championship tournament – Auburn Thunder, BUSA 94 Elite, Huntsville FC Girls 94 Blue, Mobile Soccer Club 94G Blue, Briarwood Lady Ambassadors 94, and the Decatur Raptors G94.

Auburn Thunder will play Briarwood on Friday night, then BUSA Elite on Sunday. The other participants will also play the first weekend. The top four teams will return to compete for the championship. The final game will be held on Sunday, November 15.

The U16 Girls lost their final league game this weekend and finish with a record of 5-3.