Grant Lillard and Adam Mosharrafa, two local Scottsdale athletes and products of the Scottsdale Soccer Club 96 Blackhawks Boys team, will play in the NCAA D1 Men’s College Cup Semifinals Friday for Indiana University and Stanford University, respectively.
Lillard and Mosharrafa played together on Scottsdale Soccer Club 96 Blackhawks Boys team, which won the Arizona Club Soccer State Championship in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. Including Lillard and Mosharrafa, ten players from the 96 Blackhawks team have gone on to play at the collegiate level.
Mosharaffa’s Cardinals will face Akron in one semifinal Friday in Philadelphia, while Lillard’s Hoosiers will take on the University of North Carolina in the other semifinal. Whether or not both players make it through to the College Cup final to play each other, their former 96 Blackhawks club coach Adam Burke will be watching every minute this Friday.
“There’s nothing as rewarding as seeing former players take what they’ve learned and continue to grow and advance in their game,” said Burke, who is also Director of Coaching for Scottsdale Soccer Club.