US Youth Soccer National Championships Day 2 Recap

FRISCO, Texas (Via US Youth Soccer) — The 2016 US Youth Soccer National Championships continued Wednesday, as teams competed in their second of three group stage games at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas. It was a must-win situation for many of the teams looking to advance to this weekend’s games.

With the teams having completed their second games, the stage is set for crucial games on Thursday, as the 96 sides play their final group stage games to solidify the group standings. The top two teams in the Under-13 and Under-19 age groups will advance to the National Championship final on Saturday, while the top two teams in each group in Under-14 through Under-18 play advance to their respective semifinals.

+Read: US Youth Soccer National Championships Day 1 Recap

A few highlights from Wednesday’s matches…

Under-13 Girls: Solar Chelsea Red (TX-N) 4-0 NJ Rush 02 Blue (NJ)
Solar Chelsea Red (TX-N) secured a spot in Saturday’s championship match with a 4-0 win against NJ Rush 02 Blue (NJ). Raigen Powell got Solar Chelsea started as she scored in the 35th minute. Trinity Byars increased their lead with a goal in the 48th minute. Alexis Missimo made it a 3-0 game, and it was Maya Ozymy finished off the game with a last minute goal. Solar Chelsea will face So Cal Blues 02 Baker (CA-S) for the last group play match on Thursday, and this will also be the same matchup for the Under-13 Girls championship match on Saturday.

Under-14 Girls: Florida Elite 01/02 (FL) 0-1 BRYC 01 Elite (VA)
One goal against Florida Elite 01/02 (FL) was all BRYC 01 Elite (VA) needed to attain their second win of the tournament. The first half ended in a scoreless tie, but in the 70th minute, Lauren Teuschl put the ball in the back of the net.

Under-15 Girls: Sunrise Sting 00/01 (FL) 1-4 Midwest United FC 01 Royal (MI)
Midwest United FC 01 Royal (MI) defeated Sunrise Sting 00/01 (FL), 4-1. Danika Austin gave Midwest United the advantage with a goal in the 29th minute, and Ariana Garcia earned the second goal. Khloe Hayes shot the ball into the net for the third goal, and Garcia scored her second of the match in the 49th minute. Sunrise Sting’s Taylor Dobles got the team on the board, but Midwest United claimed the victory.

Under-16 Girls: FCKC Pink Panthers Elite (MO) 0-1 Carlsbad Elite 99 (CA-S)
Carlsbad Elite 99 (CA-S) earned their second win of the 2016 National Championships as they defeated FCKC Pink Panthers Elite (MO), 1-0. Carlsbad’s goal started from a cross that was sent high into the 18-yard box for Emily Knepler to tap the ball in.

Under-17 Girls: Eastside FC 98 Red (WA) 2-3 CR S Burgundy Rapids (NC)
While Eastside FC 98 (WA) strived for a comeback rally after enduring a 2-0 deficit in the first half, CR S Burgundy Rapids (NC) held them off for a 3-2 victory. It was CR S Burgundy’s Courtney Walker who gave the team the two-goal lead. In the sixth minute of the match, Walker ran onto a long ball played down the line and took a shot from the top corner of the 18-yard box. The ball deflected off of the Eastside goalkeeper and into the net. Walker’s second goal took place in the 24th minute as she ran onto another through ball and slid it past the goalkeeper to the bottom right corner of the net. Eastside’s Olivia Van Der Jagt cut into CR S Burgundy’s lead when she scored in the 65th minute, and she also scored the late equalizer in the 88th minute. CR S Burgundy immediately stole the lead back when Emery Noll put the ball in the back of the net during stoppage time.

Under-18 Girls: Ambassadors FC (OH-N) 1-1 Syracuse Development Academy (NY-W)
The battle between Ambassadors FC (OH-N) and Syracuse Development Academy (NY-W) resulted in a 1-1 draw. Syracuse Development Academy’s goal came in the 22nd minute when Jade Gentile received a bouncing ball, brought it down, and sent it to top left corner of the net. In the second half, Ambassadors scored the equalizer as Erin King was on the end of a corner kick near the back post and headed the ball into the net.

Under-19 Girls: 96 TFCA Alliance (NC) 0-2 McLean 96 Green (VA)
McLean 96 Green (VA) put themselves in a close position to qualify for Saturday’s championship match with their 2-0 win over TFCA Alliance (NC). It was a scoreless first half, but Abbey Duncan put McLean on the board in the 50th minute. Caroline Kerns sealed the victory with a late goal in the 84th minute.

Under-13 Boys: Strikers FC Chingirian (CA-S) 0-3 Michigan Wolves (MI)
Strikers FC Chingirian (CA-S) defeated Michigan Wolves (MI) 2-0 on day two of play to seal its spot in Saturday’s Under-13 Boys final. Paul Son got Strikers on the board early in the first 60 seconds and then teammate Sean Foster gave the Cal South team the 2-0 cushion. Strikers kept Michigan off the board to win its second game in two days to earn a spot in the Under-13 Boys final. Strikers meet up against 02 CASL Academy Juniors (NC) tomorrow in a preview of Saturday’s final, as CASL also won its second game of the week to advance to the final.

Under-14 Boys: South Carolina United FC 01 Elite (SC) vs Valparaiso United FC 02 JG (AZ)
Valparaiso United FC 02 JG (AZ) earned its second win of the tournament with a 2-1 victory over South Carolina United FC 01 Elite (SC). Paul Gindiri scored in the 8^th minute of the game but South Carolina leveled in the 41^st minute on a Damon Williams goal to even the score at 1-1. Ivan Lopez kept Valparaiso with the perfect record, scoring in the 57^th minute to give his side the 2-1 victory.

Under-15 Boys: Sparta 01 JK (UT) 3-1 United FA 01 Premier (GA)
Sparta 01 JK (UT) takes sole lead of the Under-14 Boys Group A with four points after two days of play. Sparta got on the scoreboard in just the 8^th minute against United FA 01 Premier (GA) with a goal from Brandon Cervantes and then Arturo Martin Pimentel increased the lead to 2-0 just seven minutes later. United FA pulled one back in the second half thanks to Mario Ventura, but Sparta’s Casey Lambert sealed the deal in the 79^th minute as the game ended 3-1 in favor of the Utah side.

Under-16 Boys: United FA Premier (GA) 2-1 La Roca South CS 99/00 Premier (UT)
United FA Premier (GA) gave itself sole lead of Group A in the Under-16 Boys division with a day two victory over La Roca South CS 99/00 Premier (UT). The two National teams both came in with wins from day one and looking to build upon their position in the group with a good result. United FA took the lead on a goal early in the second half in the 49^th minute by Thair Britton but Cristobal Zamorano equalized for La Roca in the 63^rd. Both teams searched for a winner and it was United FA’s John Crawley in the 74^th minute that scored the game winner. With the win, United FA just needs a win or tie tomorrow to guarantee itself a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

Under-17 Boys: Loudoun 98 Red (VA) 1-3 Baltimore Celtic 98/99 (MD)
In a rematch of their 2015 National Championships semifinal, Baltimore Celtic 98/99 (MD) once again defeated Region I rival Loudoun 98 Red (VA). Celtic got ahead early as high pressure led to a blunder of an own goal by Loudoun. A Celtic free kick turned into a goal just eight minutes later as a floated ball got headed back across and fell straight to Daniel Hart who made no mistake in finishing his chance. Reece Cooke cut the lead to 2-1 when he got on the end of a long ball over the top, chested it down and then finished beyond the keeper. Gabriel Quintero put the game away in the second half when he got on the end of a cross and headed home to bring the final score to 3-1.

Under-18 Boys: FC Golden State Platinum (CA-S) 2-1 Lehigh Valley United 97 (PA-E)
In Under-18 Boys play, FC Golden State Platinum came back to win 2-1 against Lehigh Valley United 97 (PA-E). 2015-2016 National League Under-19 Boys top goal scorer, Evan Vare, got LVU up 1-0 early when he side stepped his defender and rocketed a right footed shot for a goal. Golden State pulled one back in the 56^th minute when a short corner was taken. LVU was caught off guard and the cross found Jesus Granados‘ head for a goal. Parker Hodges sealed the victory for Golden State in the 81^st minute. Hodges carried the ball up the right flank and cut towards the box where he laid the ball off to Eduardo Sanchez who cut by an LVU defender in the box and the ball fell to the streaking Hodges who finished for the win.

Under-19 Boys: FC Golden State (CA-S) 5-3 Chicago Celtic (IL)
FC Golden State are back in the finals for consecutive years after defeating Chicago Celtic 5-3 on the second day of play. It was a back and forth game with teams exchanging goals throughout the first half. Cyro Oliveira scored in just the 8^th minute of play, but that lead didn’t last long as Celtic’s Juan Carlos Lujan scored just five minutes later. Golden State retook the lead from an Erick Villatoro goal but once again the lead didn’t last as Nathaniel Michaelis leveled for Celtic. Just three minutes later FC Golden State earned a 3-2 lead thanks to Gabriel Costa and then added a cushion to that lead thanks for Erik Da Silva Santos early in the second half. Elias Leyva cut the lead to 4-3 in the 70^th minute, but Costa scored his second of his game to bring the final score to 5-3. Golden State faces FC Florida 96/97 Elite (FL) tomorrow, in a preview of the Under-19 final for the James P. McGuire cup, with Florida defeating Smithtown Kickers SC Arsenal (NY-E) 4-2 in the other Under-19 Boys game of the day.

2016 US Youth Soccer National Championships
Day 2 Results: Group Play Matches