ECNL Girls and ECNL Regional League U13-U17 Quarterfinals Recaps

The culminating event of the ECNL Girls season got underway Friday, with 40 teams in the ECNL Club Competition and 40 teams in the ECNL Regional League starting quarterfinal across five age groups on Friday.

Each team entered action at West Creek Complex and Striker Park in Virginia just three wins away from winning the ultimate prize of winning an ECNL National Championship or ECNL Regional League Championship.

Below is a recap of all the action and who is advancing into the semifinals on Saturday.

U13 Champions League

In U13 quarterfinal action, Bethesda SC advanced past Indiana Fire 2-1 and will take on Slammers FC HB Køge in the semifinals after they narrowly got past Eclipse Select SC by a score of 1-0. In the other quarterfinals, San Diego Surf advanced over So Cal Blues on penalty kicks, while MVLA, led by a game winning goal from McKenna Whitham, advanced into the semifinals with a 2-0 victory over Real Colorado.

Whitham credited the composure and collective calmness her team showed throughout the game as a key factor in helping them advance into the semifinals.

“I love how we stayed calm,” Whitham said. “You have to keep pushing through and never stop because you never know what might happen.”

With a strong challenge in front of them in the next round, Whitham emphasized how excited her and her teammates are for the opportunity to play in the semifinals on Saturday.

“I’m so excited,” Whitham said. “I love this experience because there are a lot of great teams out there and this is just helping us get better.”

U13 ECNL Quarterfinals #ECNLfinals pic.twitter.com/liEjS3IAnJ

— ECNL Girls (@ECNLgirls) July 14, 2023

U14 Champions League

In U14 quarterfinal action, Solar and So Cal Blues finished level at 2-2, before Solar advanced into the semifinals in penalty kicks, where they will meet up with San Diego Surf who got by Legends FC 2-1. In the other quarterfinals, Richmond United advanced past Slammers FC HB Køge by a score of 2-0 and PDA advanced into the semifinals with a 3-0 win over San Juan SC.

U15 Champions League

The U15 quarterfinals featured a number of high scoring battles on Friday. San Diego Surf advanced into the semifinals following a 4-3 win over Sting Dallas and will take on a Michigan Hawks side that advanced 3-2 over Penn Fusion SA. On the other side of the bracket, Legends FC advanced into the semifinals with a 3-2 win over Slammers FC HB Køge, while Real Colorado defeated Crossfire Premier 3-1 to move into the semifinals.

(Players To Watch: ECNL Girls Champions League and Regional League Finals)

U16 Champions League

In the U16 quarterfinals, Internationals SC got past PDA 3-2 to move into the semifinals and will take on Slammers FC HB Køge who moved into the semifinals with a 2-0 win over Oklahoma Energy FC. In the other quarterfinals, Solar advanced past World Class 4-1 and will take on a Legends FC side that advanced into the semifinals with a 3-2 win over DKSC.

U17 Champions League

In the U17 quarterfinals, SLSG advanced past Slammers by a score of 4-2 to set up a semifinal showdown with Internationals SC who advanced following a 4-1 win over San Diego Surf. In the other quarterfinals, Colorado Rapids advanced past VDA 2-1, while Solar advanced past Charlotte SA 3-1.

U16-U17 ECNL Regional League Quarterfinals #ECNLRL #ECNLfinals pic.twitter.com/f0RHiIoxMg

— ECNL Girls (@ECNLgirls) July 15, 2023

U13 Regional League

In the U13 Regional League quarterfinals, Missouri Rush advanced to the semifinals following a 3-0 win over Virginia United, where they will take on a Beach FC side that advanced 2-0 over PDA. Meanwhile in the other quarterfinals, Sporting Nebraska and Solar both advanced on penalties and will face off in the other semifinal.

U14 Regional League

In the U14 quarterfinals, Evolution SC advanced into the semifinals following a 3-2 win over Richmond Strikers and will take on Stanislaus United SC who advanced past DKSC 4-1. In the other half of the bracket, SUSA FC defeated UFA 4-2, while Chicago Inter used a 1-0 win to advance into the semifinals over Eagles SC.

U15 Regional League

In the U15 quarterfinals, Slammers FC advanced into the semifinals following a 3-0 win over Kansas City Athletics and will take on Concorde Fire in the semifinals who advanced over Beach FC on penalty kicks. In the other quarterfinals, Charlotte SA advanced 4-1 over FC Wichita and will take on World Class in the semifinals, after they advanced 3-1 over Sting Dallas.

U16 Regional League

In U16 quarterfinal action, FC Dallas and Scorpions SC will square off in the semifinals after they each recorded clean sheet victories in the quarterfinals. In the other quarterfinals, Missouri Rush advanced past Slammers FC 3-0 and will take on GTFC Impact who advanced past NCFC Youth 1-0.

U17 Regional League

In the U17 quarterfinals, FC Dallas and Chicago Inter used a pair of clean sheets to advance into the semifinals. On the other side, Connecticut FC advanced past Charlotte SA 4-2 and will take on Slammers FC in the semifinals, after they advanced past FC Dayton 2-0.