ECNL Boys 2023 Virginia National Event: Day 3 Recap

The 2023 ECNL Boys Virginia National Event wrapped up on Memorial Day with the third and final day of competition for teams across the U15-U17 age groups.

Continue reading for a rundown of several of the day’s top matchups.

Wilmington Hammerheads vs Rockford Raptors 3-1

In the 06 age group, Wilmington Hammerheads used a strong three goal second half performance to earn a 3-1 win over the Rockford Raptors.

In the 51st minute, Albert Garcia opened the scoring for Wilmington by lacing a half volley into the net to give the Hammerheads a 1-0 lead.

“We were struggling to score in the first half and that goal got us going,” said Wilmington Hammerheads Head Coach Jyler Noviello.

The Hammerheads doubled their lead in the 70th minute following some great passing as Jack James found Nicholas Cenatiempo for a goal to make it 2-0.

The Rockford Raptors answered quickly though. Reese Schlichting launched a curling shot from distance into the top right corner in the 72nd minute to cut the lead down to 2-1.

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Wilmington had the answer though to end the game. Following great ball movement in the final third, Finnegan Lambe fired home a shot to make it 3-1 and put the game away.

“The overall performance was amazing,” Noviello said. “We scored three good goals, we defended well, and it was just a great way to end the weekend. I’m super proud of the effort of the boys this weekend.”

Although Noviello knows his team is capable of performances like this, he said even they surprised him today with how crisp some of the passing was leading to their goals.

“They surprised me,” Noviello said. “I haven’t seen this yet from this team and I know they’re capable, so I challenged them to do that today and it was awesome.”

SLSG MO vs WNY Flash 2-1

In the 06 age group, SLSG rallied from a goal down to get a 2-1 win over WNY Flash.

WNY Flash opened the scoring in the 18th minute on a goal by Drew Leardini, but it only took a minute for SLSG to answer back on a goal from Dominic Nicoletti in the 19th minute.

In the 30th minute, SLSG found their second goal of the game when Alexander Newman fired home a left footed shot to make it 2-1.

In the second half, WNY Flash pressed the SLSG backline in an effort to create more giveaways. That defensive pressure provided them some good opportunities including a shot attempt that hit off the post as well as a scoring opportunity that was called back for offside.

In the end, SLSG was able to hold onto their 2-1 lead and earn the win.

“I’m really happy with how we started,” said SLSG coach Brian Groark. “We’ve improved a lot in keeping possession and being a little more patient.”

Groark also noted how happy he was with the way the team responded so quickly from going a goal down in the first half.

“We gave up an early goal and responded with two,” Groark said. “It was great to come back right away like that. I think that gave us a boost of energy.”

Space Coast United vs FSA FC 2-2

Also in the 06 age group, Space Coast United rallied from two goals down in the second half to earn an exciting 2-2 draw with FSA FC.

FSA FC got on the board first in the second half with goals from Dom Martinez in the 52nd minute and Shikhar Motupally in the 60th minute.

It wasn’t long before Space Coast United was able to battle their way back into the game though. In the 63rd minute, a cross into the box led to Sean Harrison firing home a goal to cut the lead to 2-1. Then, after a foul inside the box, Brayden Benfield stepped up to the penalty spot and calmly leveled things at 2-2.

“We showed tremendous resilience and faith in each other to recover the game after going down 2-0,” said Space Coast United Head Coach Clovis Simas. “That’s just the identity of my team. They fight hard until the end.”

Simas believes the weekend on a whole was a great opportunity for his team to showcase their talents and that this is a good building block for them as they go into the summer and next season.

“They showed their talents individually and as a group,” Simas said. “For next season most of them will be returning so we just need to build up a little bit more.”