ECNL Girls 2023 National Playoffs: Day 3 Recap

Monday’s ECNL Girls National Playoffs were filled with Cup matches in the U15 and U16 age groups. The North American Cup, Showcase Cup A, and Showcase Cup B all had quarterfinal games and saw the brackets cut down to the final four teams in each Cup competition.

North American Cup

In Monday’s North American Cup action the U15 and U16 teams narrowed things down to the final four teams in each age group.

The U16 North American Cup featured some extremely competitive games with all four quarterfinals being decided by only one goal. Orlando City SC got past FC Stars Blue 2-1 to set up a semifinal showdown with Pittsburgh Riverhounds who advanced in a seven goal thriller, 4-3 over Gretna Elite Academy.

On the other side of the bracket, Real Colorado National advanced past Maryland United 1-0, setting up a semifinal matchup against LAFC So Cal who moved into the semifinals following an exciting 3-2 win over Eclipse Select SC.

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In the U15 age group, Oklahoma Energy got a 2-0 win over Pipeline SC to advance into the semifinals where they will take on a Mustang SC side that advanced past Slammers FC 3-0.

On the other side of the bracket, Minnesota Thunder needed penalty kicks to see their way into the semifinals after they finished their quarterfinal showdown tied 1-1 with Rebels SC. Charlotte SA will meet Minnesota Thunder in the semifinals after getting past WNY Flash 3-2.

The four remaining U16 teams will be back in action on Tuesday as they look to punch their tickets to the North American Cup final, while the U15 sides will be back on the field Wednesday looking to move into the North American Cup final.

Showcase Cup

In the U16 Showcase Cups, the eight teams remaining at both Showcase Cup A and Showcase Cup B were cut down to four following Monday’s action.

Just like the U16s North American Cup, the U16 Showcase Cup A saw every game decided by one goal in Monday’s quarterfinals. Cleveland Force picked up a 1-0 win over Mustang SC to move into the semifinals, where they will take on a Midwest United side that got past VDA also by a 1-0 scoreline.

On the other side of the bracket, Scorpions Soccer advanced into the semifinals with a 1-0 victory over South Carolina United, while FC Delco picked up a 2-1 win over CESA Liberty to advance into the semifinals.

(ECNL Girls 2023 National Playoffs: Day 2 Recap)

In Showcase Cup B, Ohio Elite SA advanced past Bethesda SC 1-0 to move into the semifinals where they will take on So Cal Blues who need penalties to get past Albion Hurricanes and into the semifinals.

Meanwhile on the other side, FC Stars White got past SLSG Green 3-0 to set up a semifinal matchup with Utah Royals FC-AZ who beat De Anza Force 2-0 to move into the semifinals.

The remaining four teams in each Showcase Cup will take the field again on Tuesday as they look to punch their tickets to the championship matches.