COLUMBIA, SC — A Columbia based semi pro soccer team, Soda City FC, is National Champions for the second season in a row.

This past weekend, Soda City FC defeated FC Folsom 4-2 in the fall UPSL Championship in Irvine, California.

The semi pro club went undefeated in the regular season and was the first team among the 500 club league to win a Spring and Fall championship back to back.

“Nobody has done it before,” Debola Ogunseye, one of the teams coaches said. “But we knew that we could do it.”

Rauf Salisfu, a forward for Soda City,knew their experience would benefit them.

“When we reached California we just thought about how we did it last year and we just go with the experience that we got,” Salisfu said. “That’s how we got there and then we were champions.”

Soda City fell behind 1-0 in the title game in but came back as they’ve done all season.

“As always we believe in everybody and we know we can make it and we’re not gonna put our head down till the referee blow the last minute whistle,” Salsify said.

2nd year goalie Jacob Cotton has enjoyed the team’s ability to bounce back formerly deficits.

“It’s been amazing,” Cotton said. “I’ve never been on a team where when we go down by 1 goal we kind of wake up and we decide, I guess we’re going to have to score 2 and were going to have to score 2 to win.”

The club, which can serve as a pit stop for a lot of players trying to make a full time professional team, prides itself on its cultural diversity.

Coach Ogunseye is from Nigeria.

“That’s one of the special things about Soda City, we have people from all over the world that come together in the name of soccer,” Ogunseye said.

Salisfu, also in his second year with the club, is from Ghana.

“We are like family, we really supporting each other,” Salsify said. “We’re there every time, lifting each other in every game. That’s what makes us success we unite the team.”

Cotton is from California but went to Newberry College.

“There had been no point with me coming here thinking I’d be this big in the program but I’ve loved every second of it,” Cotton said.

With the win, Soda City FC earned a match against Carolina Core FC, a professional team in North Carolina, on March 20th in High Point, NC.

The club is also working to bring a professional women’s soccer team here to the Midlands.