ECNL Boys National Selection Game in Las Vegas sees East Team earn 2-0 win

In front of hundreds of scouts and fans, the stars of ECNL Las Vegas took the field Friday night at Heritage Park in Henderson, Nevada for the Continental Tire ECNL National Selection Game. (View Rosters)

The game was high paced and action packed from the start, with both sides generating a number of chances.

The opening goal came late in the first half when Daniel Sartorio (Classics Elite SA) played a ball in front of goal to Angel Villasana (San Antonio City SC) who put it home with a sliding finish to put the East up 1-0.

In the second half, West goalkeeper Hayden Thatcher (KC Scott Gallagher) made a tremendous diving save to keep the West in the game.

Throughout the second half, the West pushed hard for the game tying goal. Michael Stukenholtz (Gretna Elite Academy) created a number of chances, including firing a rocket at East goalkeeper Collin Schlechte (SLSG – IL) in the 73rd minute that Schlechte was able to turn aside.

The East was able to put the game away in the closing minutes. Chase Stewart (Heat FC) blasted home a shot from inside the box to put the East up 2-0 and secure the win.

These boys showed up and showed out #ECNLLV pic.twitter.com/7EQSLbIUBM

— ECNL Boys (@ECNLboys) December 16, 2023

After the match, Cole Essner (Sporting Nebraska) was named player of the match, and talked about how the East was able to stick to their game plan and cash in when they had opportunities.

“It feels great. We worked hard. We followed the game plan and we converted our chances,” Essner said.

Essner also discussed how amazing it was to play with a group of players who can perform at such a high level.

“It’s awesome to play with a group of guys that can really move the ball well and do things that sometimes you can’t do. They’re really good players,” Essner said.

With so many great players on the field, Stewart noted that the players are able to build chemistry between each other so quickly just because of how great the talent is on the field.

“In the National Selection Game every player is going to be great,” Stewart said. “With so many great players around you it just becomes second nature because of the great quality.”

Both Essner and Stewart gave credit to the fans and their teammates for coming out and providing such an outstanding atmosphere for all the players in the game.

“It’s the brotherhood. The crowd and the energy was crazy. I’ve never played in a game like that,” Stewart said. “They’re giving us fire when we’re tired and we’re fighting for our teams on the sideline who came out and supported us.”

“I love it. It’s awesome to open an email and see you’re invited to play,” Essner said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s awesome to play here. It’s a great atmosphere with a lot of fans.”