Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap: May 5-6, 2018

Despite the rainy weather down the East Coast, play resumed over the weekend in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy East Conference. Things took an interesting turn this weekend as sides in the Atlantic and Northeast took part in inter-divisional matches across the U-15, U-16/U-17, and U-18/U-19 age groups.

Meanwhile in the Southeast Division, the weekend was capped with top four battles and a couple of switches in the table.

+Full Schedule / Results

U-15

In the Atlantic Division, Sky Blue-PDA (19-3-4, 61 points) stayed atop of the Atlantic Division table with their 5-0 win over Empire United (3-22-1, 10 points). The first half was a tight affair with Empire nearly matching Sky Blue’s efforts. The lone difference was in the scoreline as defender Ava Curtis gave the NWSL affiliate the 1-0 lead with her goal in the 17th minute. In the second half, Sky Blue put the match away with goals from defender Peyton Nichols (58′ and 61′) and midfielders Sophia Cavaliere (66′) and Arden MacNeil (73′).

Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (16-8-3, 51 points) split their two matches on the weekend against the Northeast Division. On Saturday, the second place side from the Atlantic lost to the Boston Breakers Academy (13-10-3, 42 points) 1-0. Hayley Houston‘s goal was the difference for Boston, giving her side the lead in the 35th minute. PFA managed to turn things around in their second match, earning a 1-0 result against FC Stars (13-9-5, 44 points). Forward Allison McVey scored the game-winner for PFA in the 65th minute, her fourth on the season. Goalkeeper Audrey Brown and the back line earned the clean sheet.

+READ: Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap | April 28-29, 2018

As for Boston, they would end the weekend unbeaten after defeating PA Classics (8-14-1, 25 points) 6-1. PA took the lead early with Maggie Groh finding the back of the net in the third minute. But the Breakers came marching back with goals from Angela Lee (12′ and 31′), Houston (28′), Sarai Costello (40′), Brooke Haarala (46′), and Colleen Casey (68′). With their two wins, the Breakers extend their unbeaten run to five matches.

FC Virginia (15-10-3, 48 points) got a sweep of their own on the weekend, earning six difficult points against Northeast Division opponents. On Saturday, Virginia started the weekend in fine form, defeating Long Island SC (2-19-3, 9 points) 2-0. Defenders Emily Pendleton and Madeline Walker gave their side the 2-0 lead early with their goals in the 25th and 29th minute respectively. Walker has two goals on the season while Pendleton’s was her first.

Virginia followed Saturday’s result up with another impressive result, a 1-0 win over FC Fury NY (15-9-1, 46 points). Virginia took the lead thanks to a goal from Riley Flanagan in the 43rd minute. Goalkeeper Nadia Stupec and the back line held the potent Fury attack at bey for the final 37 minutes, earning the clean sheet and her club’s 15th shutout of the season.

Fury bounced back with a 3-2 win over Virginia Development Academy (9-14-5, 32 points) on Saturday. The Fury took the lead very early in the match with Jillian Shimkin‘s goal in the fifth minute. But VDA responded just one minute later with a goal of their own, an Emma Coleman strike in the sixth minute. The Fury took the lead again midway through the match with goals from Tessa Weiss (33′) and Lucy Patton (60′). Brooke Potter put VDA back to within one with a minute to spare, but the Fury held on to earn the three points.

In a top four battle on Saturday in the Southeast, first-place NTH Tophat (14-9-5, 47 points) earned a comeback point in their 1-1 draw with the NC Courage (14-9-5, 47 points). After a scoreless first half, Julia Hellenkamp gave her side the 1-0 advantage with her penalty kick goal in the 65th minute. The goal was her sixth of the season. But super-sub Rhonda Ojongmboh found the equalizer in the 78th minute, helping her side salvage a point against a difficult opponent.

The Concorde Fire (17-5-5, 56 points) moved past idle Charlotte Soccer Academy (17-6-4, 55 points) and into second place with a 1-0 win over the United Futbol Academy (10-15-3, 33 points). Forward Olivia Lebdaoui gave her side the lead with her goal in the 45th minute, her sixth of the 2017-2018 season. In the second, Concorde held on to the lead thanks to a shutdown effort by the back line and goalkeeper Maria Kemp.

Atlantic and Northeast

• Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 0 | Boston Breakers Academy 1 (05/06)
• Empire United 0 | Sky Blue-PDA 5 (05/06)
• Virginia Development Academy 2 | FC Fury NY 3 (05/06)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 0| New York City FC 6 (05/06)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 1|Sky Blue-NYSC 3 (05/06)
• PA Classics 0 | FC Stars 2 (05/06)
• FC Virginia 2| Long Island SC 0 (05/06)
• Penn Fusion Soccer Academy  1| FC Stars  0 (05/07)
• Virginia Development Academy 4 | Long Island SC 0 (05/07)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 1 | Sky Blue- NYSC 2 (05/07)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia | New York City FC (05/07)
• FC Virginia 1 | FC Fury NY 0 (05/07)
• Oakwood Soccer Club 1 | Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth 1 (05/07)
• PA Classics 1 | Boston Breakers Academy 6 (05/07)

Southeast

• Boca United Football Club 5 | United Soccer Alliance 2 (05/06)
• Concorde Fire 1 | United Futbol Academy 0 (05/06)
• Orlando Pride 1 | West Florida Flames 1 (05/06)
• NTH Tophat 1 | NC Courage 1 (05/06)

U-16/U-17

Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (21-4-2, 65 points) earned six points on the weekend, earning a pair of wins against Northeast Division sides to stay in the top spot in the Atlantic Division. On Saturday, PFA narrowly defeated Boston Breakers Academy (17-8-1, 52 points) 2-1. The Breakers stormed out to an early 1-0 lead with a goal from Sophie McCarthy in the second minute, her sixth of the season. But PFA came marching back with goals from forwards Kouri Peace (18′) and Chloe Adler (27′). Peace has four goals on the season while Adler has 13, a team-best. They followed up Saturday’s effort with another close, but effective result: a 1-0 win over FC Stars (6-16-4, 22 points). The lone goal in the match came from forward Gianni Dragoni in the 39th minute, her sixth of the season. Their two wins continues an impressive run for PFA, who have lost just once in ten matches.

While Saturday’s result was not ideal the Breakers ended the weekend on a high note, defeating PA Classics (6-12-5, 23 points) 2-1. Claire Grover put Boston up 1-0 in the 44th minute with her seventh goal of the season. Classics made things level late in the second with Rachel Ludwick‘s goal in the 71st minute. But the Breakers took the lead just minutes later with Isabelle Aviza (78′) finding the match-winner. When it comes to close games the Breakers have generally proven themselves to be a side that can earn the three points: the club has a 5-3-0 in one goal games during league play.

+NCAA Women’s Soccer Commitment Announcements: May 2018

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division Sky Blue-PDA (19-3-4, 61 points) defeated Empire United (3-22-1, 10 points) 7-0 to stay in the top three in the Atlantic. Forward Ranya Senhaji (3′, 4′, 11′, and 60′) led the way with four goals for Sky Blue, pushing her season total up to 16. Additional goals were scored by midfielder Rebecca Fluchel (45′), forward Emily Royson (76′), and defender Nicky Chico (86′). Saturday’s seven goals tied a season-best for the club with their previous effort coming in a 7-0 win over Virginia Development Academy back in February.

FC Virginia (17-6-4, 55 points) maintained their spot in the USSDA playoffs with a 7-0 win over Long Island SC (2-19-3, 9 points). Olivia Migli‘s hat trick (18′, 44′, and 57’) set the tone for the Virginia attack which has scored 80 goals this season (most in the Northeast, third most in the Eastern Conference. Individual goals were scored by defender Victoria Haugen (11′), midfielders Kenna Zier (42′) and Savannah Berry (74′), and forward Carrie McIntire (47′).

In the Northeast FC Fury NY (17-5-1-, 52 points)dispatched the Virginia Development Academy (3-21-3, 12 points) with a 3-0 scoreline. A pair of first-half goals from Brianna Jablonowski (4′) and Samantha DuMont (27′) gave the Fury an early 2-0 advantage. In the second half, a goal from Julia Hannon (69′) and some quality defensive work by the back line and goalkeeper Sydney Silverman put the match out of reach for VDA. Hannon’s goal pushed her season total to 16, a team-best for the U-16/U-17 side. Meanwhile, Silverman has nine shutouts this season behind her side’s strong defensive unit. They have allowed just 35 goals this season, lowest among all sides in the Northeast Division.

The United Soccer Alliance (19-7-1, 58 points) held on to second place with their 5-0 win over Boca United Futbol Club (9-17-3, 30 points). USA’s recipe for success all season has been to hit their opponents early and often on the attack, using their multiple scoring threats to disorganize the defense. Saturday was a perfect example of that strategy being put into practice as USA had five different players (Kendal Johnson-5’, Sarah Brunner-21’, Olufolasade Adamolekun-55’, Kai Hayes-87’, and Sydney Hauth-88’) hit the back of the net. On the season, USA have received goals from 15 of the 21 players who have featured for the side.

The Concorde Fire (17-6-4, 55 points) held on to third place and their playoff spot with a 6-0 win over United Futbol Academy (5-16-7, 22 points). The Fire jumped out to an early 2-0 with goals from forward Renee Lyles (6’) and midfielder Erin Carleton (18’). In the second forty-five, they put the game out of reach with forward Lucy Mitchell hitting a brace (63’ and 67’), and midfielder Astrid Wheeler (81’) and forward Madison Haugen (86’) knocking two in late. Goalkeeper Taylor Stalheim earned the clean sheet, her club’s eighth on the season.

Atlantic and Northeast

• Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 2 | Boston Breakers Academy  1 (05/06)
• Empire United 0  | Sky Blue-PDA 7 (05/06)
• Virginia Development Academy 0  | FC Fury NY 3 (05/06)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 0| New York City FC 1 (05/06)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 4 |Sky Blue-NYSC 1 (05/06)
• PA Classics 1  | FC Stars 1 (05/06)
• FC Virginia 7 | Long Island SC 0 (05/06)
• Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 1 | FC Stars 0 (05/07)
• Virginia Development Academy | Long Island SC (05/07)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 0  | Sky Blue- NYSC 1 (05/07)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 2 | New York City FC 0 (05/07)
• FC Virginia | FC Fury NY (05/07)
• Oakwood Soccer Club 5 | Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth 3 (05/07)
• PA Classics 1 | Boston Breakers Academy 2 (05/07)

Southeast

• Boca United Football Club 0 | United Soccer Alliance 5 (05/06)
• Concorde Fire 6 | United Futbol Academy 0  (05/06)
• Orlando Pride 2  | West Florida Flames 1  (05/06)
• NTH Tophat | NC Courage (05/06)

U-18/U-19

Sky Blue-PDA (18-3-2, 56 points) stayed atop the Atlantic Division with their 13-0 win over Empire United (1-18-3, 5 points) of the Northeast on Saturday. Forward Amelia Paternoster (29′, 37′, 68′, 76′, and 86′) and midfielder Jillian Wachira (62′, 74′, 83′, and 85′) combined to score nine of Sky Blue’s 14 goals to give them 11 and 9 goals on the season, respectively. Additional goals were scored by forward Kayla Lee (35′) and midfielders Mackenzie Pluck (6′ and 49′) and Julia Moran (54′). Meanwhile, the Sky Blue defense continued their impressive run of keeping opponents out of the back of their net. The NWSL affiliate has given up just one goal in five matches.

Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (17-5-1, 52 points) remain in second after their 8-0 win over Long Island SC (4-14-1, 13 points) on Sunday. All season long, the Penn Fusion attack has consistently proven themselves to be one of the most deadly sides in the final third in the USSDA. Sunday was no different as six different players combined to score the side’s eight goals. Rowan Lapi (18′ and 33′) and Brice McInroy (38′ and 70′) led the charge with two goals apiece for PFA. Sara Oswald (42′), Sydney Amparo (45′), Emma Roesing (88′), and Bridget Fitzpatrick (90′) also found the back of the net for the Pennsylvania-based side. Goalkeeper Morgan Messner and the PFA back lined earned the clean sheet for their side.

+READ: Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap | April 21-22, 2018

Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour (9-9-4, 31 points) turned in an outstanding effort on Saturday afternoon in their 3-0 defeat of New York City FC (13-8-3, 42 points). Jaiden Tolliver gave the Spirit the 1-0 lead just before halftime with her goal in the 44th minute. Camber Hayes (47′) and Leyah Hall-Robinson (56′) added two insurance goals in the second to give the Spirit the win over an NYCFC side that are in second in the Northeast Division. Credit to the Spirit defense who held back one of the best attacking sides in the Eastern Conference, earning their second consecutive shutout and their seventh on the season.

NYCFC did not end the weekend empty-handed though, as they pulled off a 1-1 draw with Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia (7-11-6, 27 points) on Sunday. The first half on Sunday played out very much like the first-half on Saturday, with NYCFC looking lively early on but falling behind just before halftime. Emma Nguyen gave Spirit Academy-Virginia the lead with her goal in the 40th minute, her eighth of the season. But things were a bit different in this match for The Pigeons with midfielder Molly Feighan netting the equalizer in the 56th minute.

Spirit Academy-Virginia had another positive performance on Saturday, this time getting three points in their 3-2 win over Sky Blue-NYSC (4-16-1, 13 points). NYSC took a 1-0 lead early with a goal from Nicole Piperea in just the second minute. Spirit Academy-Virginia responded with two goals of their own from Izzy Armstrong (6′) and Nguyen (45′). Piperea and the NYSC attack struck again to make things level at 2-2 with a goal in the 56th minute. But the Spirit Academy-Virginia attack would not be denied the victory, with Armstrong netting her second of the match in the 63rd minute.

Finally in the Southeast, NTH Tophat (18-1-5, 59 points) kept their aspirations of finishing first in the Division alive on Saturday with their 2-1 win over the NC Courage (21-2-2, 65 points). Tophat jumped out to a 2-0 lead midway through the match, with goals from Brianna Pinto (44’) and Charlotte Teeter (53’). Pinto has seven on the season for Tophat while Teeter’s was her 21st, which places her in sixth for most goals scored in the U-18/U-19 age bracket. The Courage did get to within one when Isabella Brown scored in the 54th minute. But the Tophat defense held on for their first win of the season against the top side in the Division.

The Concorde Fire (19-5-1, 58 points) aren’t far behind Tophat and the Courage, having pulled off a 2-1 win over the United Futbol Academy (11-13-1, 34 points) on the weekend. After being slowed down by a resilient UFA defense in the first half, the Fire’s attack came alive in the second forty-five. Forward Julia Nicholas struck first for Concorde with her goal in the 54th minute. Defender Kylie Buchanan (80’) extended their lead to two with the always handy insurance goal. A penalty kick goal from Jenna Volrath in the 90th minute put UFA back to within one late but it wasn’t enough. With the win, Concorde are now unbeaten in third last five and sitting in the driver’s seat for either a Wild Card spot or a Playoff berth.

Atlantic and Northeast

• Penn Fusion Soccer Academy  | Boston Breakers Academy (05/06)
• Empire United 0 | Sky Blue-PDA 13  (05/06)
• Virginia Development Academy 2  | FC Fury NY 3 (05/06)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour 3| New York City FC 0 (05/06)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 3 |Sky Blue-NYSC 2 (05/06)
• PA Classics 3 | FC Stars 0 (05/06)
• FC Virginia 10 | Long Island SC 0 (05/06)
• Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 8 | FC Stars 0 (05/07)
• Virginia Development Academy 5 | Long Island SC  2 (05/07)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Baltimore Armour  | Sky Blue- NYSC (05/07)
• Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 1 | New York City FC 1 (05/07)
• FC Virginia | FC Fury NY (05/07)
• Oakwood Soccer Club | Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth (05/07)
• PA Classics 0 | Boston Breakers Academy 8 (05/07)

Southeast

• Boca United Football Club 2 | United Soccer Alliance 3 (05/06)
• Concorde Fire 2 | United Futbol Academy 1  (05/06)
• Orlando Pride 4  | West Florida Flames 2  (05/06)
• NTH Tophat 2 | NC Courage 1 (05/06)