Development Academy: In U-18s, D.C. United, McLean play to tie, while Richmond Kickers still without a loss

By Jimmy LaRoue

McLean Youth Soccer had gone into its U-18 Development Academy match with D.C. United Saturday undefeated, and while it came out of the match still without a loss, it didn’t come out fully unscathed, as it played to a 1-1 tie with United, finishing the match with just nine players.

McLean lost one player–Charlie Montano– to a second yellow card, while Carlos Vasquez was sent off on a straight red card.

The match stayed scoreless for nearly the entire match, but with 15 minutes of added time, both teams finally broke through on the scoresheet, with Rahim Dorsey scoring in the 11th minute of second half stoppage time, while United’s Michael Seaton scored four minutes later to tie the match at 1-1, which is where the game ended.

With the tie, United moves to 2-1-1, while McLean is 3-0-1.

In the U-16 matchup, McLean took the early lead on Brian Maye’s 16th minute goal, but United rallied behind second half goals from Julian Cummings and Steven Gandy to stay undefeated at 4-0-0.

Cummings scored in the 48th minute, while Gandy picked up his game-winner in the 64th minute. McLean falls to 1-3-0 with the loss.

The Richmond Kickers U-18s picked up their second win of the season, as Tyler Slayton scored his third goal of the season in the 75th minute to defeat Match Fit Chelsea 1-0 Saturday. The Kickers have seven points in three matches and sit in a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division, but have played one fewer game than McLean, who is atop the division with 10 points in four matches.

The Kickers’ U-16s are still looking for their first win of the season, falling for the third time in three matches in a 4-1 defeat to Match Fit Chelsea. The Kickers fell behind 2-0 in the first 25 minutes, but Adrian Bills cut the lead to 2-1 in the 42nd minute before Match Fit Chelsea picked up two more goals in the second half to pull away for the win.

In Sunday’s action, the Richmond Strikers had a strong day, as its U-18s scored a 2-2 tie with Potomac while its U-16s defeated Potomac 3-1.

In the U-18s tie, Timothy Pedrazzi opened the scoring for the Strikers in the 7th minute, but Potomac took the lead into halftime behind goals from Juan Tamayo and Jeremy Cohen. The Strikers got the tying goal from Adam Yesbeck in the 71st minute.

For the Strikers U-18s, those were their first two goals of the season after shutout losses in each of their first three matches, including a 7-o defeat to McLean a week earlier.

The Strikers U-16s got a three-goal lead thanks to goals from Jesus Duran-Reyes (9th minute), Keenan O’Shea (33rd minute) and Gil Topaz (60th minute). Potomac pulled one back on a goal from Matt Danilack, but it wasn’t enough as the Strikers (3-1-0) win put them in a tie for second place with Baltimore Bays Chelsea (3-0-0). Reyes’ goal was his third of the season, while O’Shea has two.

Baltimore Bays Chelsea’s U-16s scored its third win in three games as they defeated Players Development Academy 3-0 behind two more goals from Abdallah Bangura in the 60th and 70th minutes. Sixtus Akinlosotu added another in the 80th minute. Bangura has four of the five goals for Bays Chelsea this season.

Bays Chelsea’s U-18s, however, lost its first of the season, 2-0 to PDA to fall to 2-1-0.