CAYSA welcomes 90 teams to Classic

The 13th annual Cape Area Youth Soccer Association Fall Classic kicks off at Shawnee Soccer Park this morning.

CAYSA, in its 21st year, offers spring and fall soccer league play for area youth, many of whom advance to the high school level and beyond. The strong seasons just completed by Notre Dame and Cape Central High Schools attest to the success of the program.

Both teams reached the sectional round of the state playoffs in their respective classes, where they competed well against the best in the state.

About 90 teams of boys and girls from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Sikeston, Carbondale and Marion, Ill., will compete in the two-day event sponsored by KGMO Radio, Cape Noon Optimist Club and the Southeast Missouri Soccer Club.

The CAYSA tournament provides a showcase for first- through eighth-grade recreation-level players.

Tournament play runs today and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trophies will be presented to first and second-place teams in each division following the championship matches on Sunday.