U12 team wins championship

The Eastside Football Club Boys U12 Red soccer team captured the U.S. Club Soccer Washington Cup Premier championships, Nov. 7-9, at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.

According to a press release issued by U.S. Club Soccer, winners of the Washington Cup Premier are given preferential seeding at U.S. Club Soccer’s 2009 National Cup VIII Regionals.

In the opening game, EFC rallied from a 2-1 deficit late in the second half to beat the Pumas, 4-2. In rounds 2 and 3, EFC notched a 4-0 shutout against Tynecastle and an 8-0 victory against Seattle’s Blue Arrows to earn a berth in the final against Greater Renton

FC 96 Blue. EFC prevailed in the final 2-0 to win the championship. Mercer Island residents on the team are Alex Chung, Cody Gibson, Ryan Hill and Gideon Tamir. The team is coached by Tom Bialek.

Longbotham signs with UW

Mercer Island High School senior Murray Longbotham signed a national letter of intent to swim for the University of Washington last week.

Longbotham has helped the Islander boys swim team earn the state title for the past two seasons.