Seven Elite Academy’s 01 Boys South have been praised for their fighting qualities after they sealed the National Champions title with a 2-0 win over Brownsville Galaxy.

The St. George youngsters became only the sixth Utah side to hold a national youth championship, thanks to second-half goals from Ben Simister at Westfield, Indiana.

But Sunday’s victory came just days after they lost to the 3-2 same team in the group stages of the President’s Cup competition

And coach Stuart Dewey believes team spirit was crucial in his side returning to beat the Texas outfit and secure the famous silver trophy.

He said: “I just want to say how really proud I am of the guys! They fought hard for each other. Everyone played so good, the team truly is the star.

“All the hard work and sacrifice paid off. They are a great group of young men and I am grateful that I get to work with them.”

Success in the national competition caps a remarkable few months for the academy, which continues to expand across Utah.

Academy Director, Anthony Godfrey, was delighted to see months of hard work - both on and off the pitch - bear fruit in spectacular fashion on Sunday.

He said: “Massive credit goes to Stuart, Sean, Mark and team manager Charity. Their work with the boys is not to make sure they win tournaments like today but to make sure we keep them on the right path of developing them.

“Developing them the right way will naturally lead to moments like today. They've done a fantastic job and I'm glad their work on field with the players is showing.

“We know challenge the players to their next goal and objective now. This win was great for them but continuing to shape their future is more important.”