Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap: May 26-27, 2018
During Memorial Day weekend, many of the teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s East Conference were hard at work securing points and places for their sides. Top of the table battles in the Atlantic and Northeast highlighted the weekend across the U-15, U-16/U-17, and U-18/U-19 age brackets.
U-15
Sky Blue-PDA (22-3-4, 70 points) stayed atop the Atlantic Division standings with a 2-0 win over Washington Spirit Academy – Baltimore Armour (5-23-1, 16 points). Within the first 15 minutes, Sky Blue had already gained their 2-0 advantage thanks to goals from Lauren Wrigley (4′) and Ashley Rainho (12′). Wrigley’s goal was her team-leading 14th of the season while Rainho has seven. The Sky Blue defense led by goalkeepers Maggie Ousouljoglou (50 minutes) and Abigail Brunell (30 minutes), and defenders Emily Chico (80 minutes), Katherine Coyle (50 minutes), Ava Curtis (80 minutes), Appoline Neveu (30 minutes) and Peyton Nicholls (30 minutes) kept the Armour’s attack bey, earning their fifth consecutive shutout and seventh in 10 matches.
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (20-8-3, 63 points) remain in second place after their 6-0 win over Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia (1-25-4, 7 points). A brace from Madelyn Galbus (1′ and 33′) and a goal from Ava Minnier (19′) gave PFA a commanding 3-0 lead within about the first 30 minutes. They weren’t done in the second half though, with Brianna Moore (48′), Alexandra Lewis (52′), and Emma Pelkowski (57′) all finding the back of the net. The win ended PFA’s 2017-2018 regular season on a high note, with the side winning their fifth consecutive match. As one of the top three teams in the Atlantic, they automatically qualify for the playoffs and are currently the No. 11 seed.
+READ: Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap | May 20-21, 2018
In the Northeast, Boston Breakers Academy (15-11-3, 48 points) held on to the third and final playoff spot with a 9-1 win over Long Island SC (2-23-3, 9 points). Francesca Yanchuk‘s four goals (33′, 49′, 66′, and 75’) led the charge for the Breakers. Individual goals came courtesy of Hayley Houston (11′), Elizabeth Rappole (52′), Amber Strapponi (72′), Angela Lee (78′) and Rachel Kim (79′).
Although the scoreline was a bit closer on Sunday, the result was the same for Boston, who defeated FC Fury NY (15-12-2, 47 points) 1-0. Yanchuk scored again for the Breakers this time in the 63rd minute to give her side the lead and ultimately the victory. She now has 27 goals on the season which places her in fourth among all players in the U-15 age division. The Fury did earn at least a point on the weekend in their 0-0 draw with FC Stars (14-10-6, 46 points) on Saturday.
Oakwood Soccer Club (15-12-3, 48 points) gave their playoff hopes a bit of a boost with a 3-2 win over Sky Blue – NYSC (12-14-3, 39 points). Midfielder Fernanda Sema of NYSC gave her side an early 1-0 advantage with her goal in the 11th minute. But Oakwood came roaring back, first earning a penalty kick opportunity in the 10th minute. Jaci Budaj slotted home the chance in the back of the net to make things level at one. Oakwood wasn’t done as Delaney Farinha gave them the 2-1 lead with her goal in the 30th minute, her team-leading 14th of the season. They added an insurance goal in the 41st minute with a strike from midfielder Lexi Consentino which turned out to be critical as Sema scored again in the second half (63′) to cut Oakwood’s lead to one. While NYSC challenged late goalkeeper Kaelen Fabry showed she was more than up to the task, making several critical stops to earn the win. With the victory Oakwood slides into ninth place in the Wild Card standings with the top eleven advancing.
Atlantic
PA Classics | FC Virginia (05/26)
Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 0 | Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 6 (05/26)
Sky Blue-PDA 2 | Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 0 (05/27)
Atlantic and Northeast
Empire United 0 | Cedar Stars Academy: Monmouth 4 (05/26)
Northeast
FC Stars 0 |FC Fury NY 0 (05/26)
Long Island SC 1 |Boston Breakers Academy 9 (05/26)
Sky Blue-NYSC 2 |Oakwood Soccer Club 3 (05/26)
FC Fury NY 0 | Boston Breakers Academy 1 (05/26)
U-16/U-17
In a top four battle to cap their regular seasons, Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (23-4-4, 73 points) and Washington Spirit Academy – Virginia played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday at Langston Hughes Middle School. An own goal by the Spirit in the second minute and a goal by Rowan Lapi in the 21st gave PFA a 2-0 lead through the first half. While things looked like they might not go their way early on, Washington showed their resilence and their resolve, getting back into the match with goals from Lauren Teuschl and Jada Konte. With their point, the Spirit held on to the second spot in the Wild Card pool, while PFA ends the season ranked sixth in the playoff pool.
FC Virginia (21-6-4, 67 points) ended their own regular season campaign with an exclamation mark, downing PA Classics (8-15-5, 29 points) 4-0. Although it took them a little bit of time to get started, Virginia’s attack did come alive around the 30-minute mark with midfielder Kenna Zier hitting the back of the net. The goal was her fifth of the season. In the second half, Virginia received additional goals from midfielder Olivia Migli (47′) and defenders Victoria Haugen (53′) and Kassiy Borden (75′). That made goalkeeper Gretchen Bennett‘s job more comfortable as she earned the clean sheet in just her second start. Meanwhile, Virginia enter the playoffs as one of the hottest sides in the U-16/U-17 age group as they have won their last 11 matches.
+READ: Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap | May 12-13, 2018
In the Northeast, second-place Boston Breakers Academy (21-8-1, 64 points, 2.133Pts/GP) upset first place FC Fury NY (27-7-1, 64 points, 2.206 Pts/GP) 5-2 on Sunday. The two sides traded leads early in the first half, with the Fury receiving goals from Devon Olive (9′) and Samantha Dumont (28′) while Jaydah Bedoya (10′ and 22′) scored twice for the Breakers. Boston continued to push the Fury’s backline with both Victoria Huang (31′) and Isabella Aviza (44′) hitting the back of the net. The Fury had a few chances early in the second half to narrow their deficit, but Claire Grover shut the door on their comeback aspirations with a goal in the 79th minute.
Boston defeated the Fury after their initial successful attacking endeavor on Saturday, an 11-0 victory over Long Island SC (2-23-3, 9 points). Grover (8′), Huang (18′), Bedoya (29′ and 45′), and Aviza (37′) all scored for the Breakers. They were joined by Mia Otero, who notched a hat trick (60′, 80′, and 87′), Charlotte Huang (25′), Lily Matthews (53′), and Madeline Priebe (77′). With just one game to play, the Breakers have scored an impressive 112 goals which is tied for second-most (San Jose Earthquakes. The current leaders are the LAFC Slammers with 124) among all sides in the U-16/U-17 age group. Bedoya currently leads the team with 21, tenth most in the U-16/U-17s.
While Sunday’s result was less than desirable, the Fury did manage to get points on the weekend defeating FC Stars (6-19-5, 23 points) 1-0 on Saturday. Caitlin Doran got things started early for the Fury with her goal in the fourth minute. It was her fifth of the season. Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mahoney played the full 90 minutes for the Fury, helping the side earn the shutout. Prior to Sunday’s loss the Fury had not allowed a goal in three consecutive matches an impressive streak and a testament to the work of both Mahoney and her fellow goalkeeper Sydney Silverman.
Although their USSDA season will conclude next week, Cedar Stars Academy – Monmouth (6-21-3, 21 points) did secure a spot in the Atlantic Division’s top six with a 4-1 win over Empire United (4-24-2, 14 points). Sofia Ambrosio (18′) and Olivia Ramiz‘s (38’) first half goals set the tone for Cedar Stars giving their defense a bit of breathing room. Nicole Grichen (42′)’s goal cut Oakwood’s lead to one just before halftime. But Cedar Stars put the game away in the second half with Kelly Degnan scoring in the 55th minute and Ramiz getting her second of the match just seven minutes later.
Atlantic
PA Classics 0 | FC Virginia 4 (05/26)
Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 2 | Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 2 (05/26)
Sky Blue-PDA 5 | Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 3 (05/27)
Atlantic and Northeast
Empire United 1 | Cedar Stars Academy: Monmouth 4 (05/26)
Northeast
FC Stars 0 |FC Fury NY 1 (05/26)
Long Island SC 0|Boston Breakers Academy 11 (05/26)
Sky Blue-NYSC |Oakwood Soccer Club (05/26)
FC Fury NY 2 | Boston Breakers Academy 5 (05/27)
Southeast
NTH Tophat | Weston FC (05/26)
U-18/U-19
With one weekend to go Sky Blue -PDA (21-3-2, 65 points) remain in first place after defeating Washington Spirit Academy – Baltimore Armour (10-10-6, 36 points) 7-0. Goals were scored by forwards Kayla Lee (3′) and Laura Jackson (18′) and midfielders Jess Schildkraut (58′ and 63′), Julia Moran (61′) and Francesca Docters (81′ and 84′). Meanwhile, goalkeeper Meagan McClelland posted her club’s sixth shutout in as many matches.
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (20-5-3, 63 points) wrapped up their regular season with a 4-0 win over Washington Spirit Academy – Virginia (7-13-6, 26 points). Midfielder Emily Gray‘s (24′ and 55’) and forward Sydney Amparo (90′) led the charge for PFA with three of the club’s of four goals. They were also assisted a bit by the Spirit defense who allowed an own goal in the 49th minute. Meanwhile, their defense led by Grace Voss (90 minutes) and Bridget Fitzpatrick (90 minutes) held down the fort against a strong Spirit side, limiting their chances on goal and giving goalkeeper Morgan Messner space to work with.
The Boston Breakers Academy earned six points on the weekend with two decisive results over Northeast Division competition. On Saturday, they defeated Long Island SC (4-17-1. 13 points) 8-0 with four goals from Catherine Barry (16’, 32’, 60’, and 61’), a hat trick from MaryKate McGuire (27’, 32’, and 90’) and a goal from Gabriella delPico in the 50th minute.
They faced a little more resistance on Sunday from FC Fury NY. But the result was still the same: a 6-2 win for Boston. McGuire scored five times in this match to give her eight for the weekend and 26 on the season. She is currently in fourth place among all players in the U-18/U-19 age division. Boston’s other goal came from Taylor Kofton in the 13th minute, her ninth of the season. The Fury received goals from Joie Tortorice (52’) and Marisa Fischetti (65’). Boston have two games left in the season to improve upon their third seed in the USSDA playoff picture. They currently trail the NC Courage of the Southeast in Pts/GP for the second seed, 2.6296 to 2.5926.
Sky Blue-NYSC (6-18-2, 20 points) extended their unbeaten run on Saturday with a 3-3 draw against Oakwood Soccer Club (14-10-2, 44 points). It looked like it might not be NYSC’s day as the Oakwood attack struck early and often. Forward Lexi Ansaldi struck twice in the first eight minutes of the match to give Oakwood the early 2-0 advantage. Hilaria Aurora Hernandez cut that lead to one with her goal for NYSC in the 20th minute, her seventh goal of the season. The two traded goals in the 23rd minute with Ansaldi scoring again for NYSC while Nicole Piperea got a goal of her own NYSC. Piperea earned herself a brace with a strike in the 78th minute to make things level at three.
Atlantic
PA Classics 0 | FC Virginia 3 (05/26)
Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 0 | Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 4 (05/26)
Sky Blue-PDA 7 | Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 0 (05/27)
Atlantic and Northeast
Empire United 0 | Cedar Stars Academy: Monmouth 3 (05/26)
Northeast
FC Stars 0 |FC Fury NY 4 (05/26)
Long Island SC 0 |Boston Breakers Academy 8 (05/26)
Sky Blue-NYSC 3 |Oakwood Soccer Club 0 (05/26)
FC Fury NY 2 | Boston Breakers Academy 6 (05/26)
Southeast
Weston FC 3 | Orlando Pride 0 (05/26)
