Third day complete at US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Interregional
Day 3 of 4
Schedules, Scores & Standings | Photos
Age groups: 2001/2002 | 2003 | 200
BOCA RATON, Fla. (Via US Youth Soccer) — The annual US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional continued Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla., as teams in the 2001/2002 and 2004 age groups competed on the third day of play.
The four-day event, which takes place Nov. 19-22 at Spanish River Athletic Park, features the teams in the 2001/2002 through 2005 age groups comprised of the top female players in the country who come to this event from their club squads to play with a group of new players.
“Playing ODP is the coolest things you can do and I’m honored to have been selected to play with such a high level team,” said West 04 Girls’ Kelly Bullock. “ODP is different than club because you’re playing with and against the best of the best and here you get the best environment, best players and can continue to develop more in this type of atmosphere.”
+READ: US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional Day 1 Recap
The nearly 300 participating players were selected from US Youth Soccer State Association and Regional level evaluations. Throughout the week, players will attend training sessions and compete in matches against other Regions, in front of U.S. Soccer national staff and collegiate coaches to maximize their exposure for selection to the next level of play.
“ODP prepares us for college because you’re not always going to be playing with your closest club soccer friends where you know how they play and where they’ll go with the ball,” said Midwest 04 Girls’ Delaney Matriano. “ODP helps prepare you for the next level because you are constantly adapting to situations with new girls.”
Some notes from Day 3:
2001/2002s
West vs South | 4-0
West Region earned a 4-0 victory over the South 01/02 team in the second day of play for the two sides. The West Region had a couple good chances to score in the first half but South defenders did a good job disrupting its attack. South’s Savannah Lawrence and Emma Cornejo had their hands full the entire game with the West offense, especially with Mollie Griswold who was constantly knocking on the doorstep. Griswold almost gave West the lead in the first half but saw her shot hit the post and bounce back to goalkeeper Kate Devine. After a scoreless first half, Griswold got her team on the board after drawing and converting a penalty. The floodgates were open and Griswold tallied again eight minutes later. Macy Hodge was making good runs for South but her team couldn’t link up in the final third to convert any chances. South’s Payton Yates made a huge save in the second half to keep her team in the game after a West attacker was played in. West’s defense, including Kassandra Ceja in a holding position, made life easy for their goalkeeper McKayla Wetsel. Griswold kept the pressure on and added two late goals in the final ten minutes to give her four on the game and brought the final score to 4-0.
Midwest vs East | 1-0
Only one goal separated the Midwest and East sides as they played a closely contested match to a 1-0 finish. Neither team could create solid chances in the first half as both teams seemed eager to keep the pace of the match high. East Region’s Waniya Hudson helped marshal a strong defensive line throughout the entire game to keep any meaningful chances down through the first half while Midwest’s Aeryn Kennedy could be found breaking up chances and distributing from the back for her side. The game’s lone goal came in the 61st minute when Kennedy Hyde broke down the left flank and fired a cross along the face of goal to a sliding Madison Simpson who knocked the ball in for what would be the winning goal. The East tried to keep the pressure on but couldn’t create enough chances to get beyond Midwest’s keeper, Rebecca Przybylo and the Midwest side earned the 1-0 victory.
+READ: US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional Day 2 Recap
2004s
West vs South | 1-3
The South Region kept the pressure on the entire game in a 3-1 victory over the West Region. South’s Jordynn Dudley converted a penalty kick to give her team the lead just five minutes into the match. South’s Taylor Tommack consistently looked dangerous in the attack and her pressure finally paid off when she found Avery Clark with a pass for the 2-0 lead. South continued to hold most of the possession and added a third goal as Zoe Susi got on the end of a ball that was flicked on through the West six-yard box. West continued to work and finally worked a ball up front for a good chance from Kelly Bullock but the opportunity was met by an equally good save by Mallory Thomas. West never stopped trying to push in the second half and finally got on the board thanks to a goal from Kendall Moore.
Midwest vs East | 1-2
The game between the 2004 Midwest and East team’s was a back and forth affair that could have seen either side come out victorious. The action started early as Midwest’s Madison Koman was forced to make a big save early in the first half. Koman continued to be a wall for the Midwest in the first half as she pushed a close range redirected shot from East’s Maya McDermott onto the post for the save and then made another big diving save just a few minutes later. Midwest’s Madeline Dahlien was making the best runs for her team in the first half but couldn’t find a final pass or finish. East’s Judy Jean-Giles made some big defensive stops and was a large part of the defense that helped keep the team’s scoreless heading into half. After a scoreless first half, a flurry of goals in the second decided the game. Midwest’s Dahlien’s offensive pressure was finally awarded with a goal and then Midwest almost scored a second but a big one handed save by Maya Naimoli kept the score at 1-0. East’s Tessa Dellarose leveled the score in the 67th minute and then McDermott bent a ball to the back post to give her team the 2-1 lead just a minute later. East’s defense held through the final whistle to earn the 2-1 victory.
