By Jimmy LaRoue
Former Under-17 national team player Andrew Oliver scored twice for the Chicago Fire U-18 Academy team in its 3-0 shutout Sunday of St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro in U.S. Soccer Development Academy Central Conference action.
Oliver made his first appearance for the Fire in the 74th minute of Saturday’s 3-0 win over St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri. In that match the Fire got three second-half goals from Kellen Gulley (55th minute), Joseph Calistri (65th minute) and Andrew Conner (86th minute).
Gulley, too, has been a part of the U.S. Soccer’s U-17 Residency program and was signed last August as the club’s second homegrown player.
In other action:
After a nearly four-month layoff, Colorado Rush Academy resumed Development Academy play by winning three of four matches in Central Conference action.
The Rush U-16s picked up two wins over the weekend to move to 5-0-2 overall, getting strong play from captain Jared Cochran and new playmaker Miguel Jaime.
Cochran and forward Spencer Goldstein scored a 2-1 win over Lonestar SC Academy Saturday, while Jaime scored the opening goal in Rush’s 2-1 win Sunday over Classics Elite. After Tristan Wehner tied the match in the 49th minute, Eduardo Reza scored the match winner for Rush.
Rush’s U-17/18s split a pair of games, falling 2-1 to Lonestar SC Academy of Austin Saturday despite outshooting its opponents 12-2. After a scoreless first half, Nicholas Petrucelli opened the second half with a goal to put Lonestar SC Academy up 1-0. Rush tied the match on a goal from Matt Marchena, but Thomas Haws gave Lonestar the match winner on an 83rd-minute goal.
However, behind a hat trick from Ruben Siguenza, Rush’s U-18s defeated Classics Elite 8-1 Sunday. Rush rolled to a 6-0 lead before Classics Elite got on the board, but Rush weren’t finished, as Siguenza added his third goal and Marchena scored a minute apart.
The Rush Academy squad are next in action two weeks from now when they travel to Real Colorado for the first of 14 Frontier Division matches.
FC Dallas U-18s lost just its second match of the season, falling 1-0 to Internationals Sunday after taking a 5-0 win against Crew Soccer Academy the day before. In U-16 play, Dallas Texans took a pair of games, defeating Internationals 4-1 and Crew Soccer Academy 2-0.
In the East Conference, Christian Porras had a hat trick for Baltimore Bays Chelsea’s U-18s in its 6-0 win Saturday against South Central Premier.
Christian Morales, Richard Greensfelder and Ishmaiah Calwrie also tallied goals for Bays (5-4-0), who followed up a dominating performance with a 1-0 win Sunday against Oakwood Soccer Club, with Greensfelder getting the lone tally.
Bays’ U-16s also picked up two wins over the weekend against the same two clubs, 5-0 over South Central Premier and 1-0 over Oakwood.
In Saturday’s win, Bays broke open a 1-0 game at halftime with two goals in two minutes to seal the win. Goals came from George Campbell (30th minute), John Ilopleh (55th minute), Patrick Koscher (57th minute), Matthew Bautista (67th minute) and Samuel Wancowicz (80th minute).
Campbell tallied the lone goal Sunday for Bays in the win.
Out west, SoCal Division first place Chivas USA U-18s split a pair of games, dominating in a 7-1 win over Cal Odyssey Saturday, but falling 2-1 to San Jose Earthquakes the following day. In the win, Chivas USA got braces from Jose Dheming and Nicholas Escalante.
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