Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap: March 3-4, 2018

It was a big weekend in the U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy East Conference, with all three divisions having matches in the U-15, U-16/U-17, and U-18/U-19 age groups. While the Southeast Division has been in action for the first month, it was the first time in 2018 that sides from the Atlantic and Northeast Division took the field.

+U.S. Soccer Girls’ DA Standings

U-15

New York City Football Club (13-3-0, 39 points) started their spring season off in fine form, earning a 1-0 victory over Oakwood Soccer Club (9-5-2, 29 points). Midfielder Isabella Gomez gave NYCFC the lead in the 53rd minute. The NYCFC defense take care of the rest holding off a potent Oakwood side (29 goals this season, third most in the Northeast Division) and earn their eighth shutout on the season.

In the Atlantic Division, FC Virginia (10-6-1, 31 points) earned a decisive 3-0 win over Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia (1-13-3, 6 points) on Sunday. Defender Samantha Welstad (10’) and midfielder Abigail Mansoor (64’) supplied two of FC Virginia’s three goals, with the third coming off of an own goal in the 73rd minute. Goalkeeper Nadia Stupec earned her ninth shutout of the season.

+READ: Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap | February 24-25, 2018

Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (10-4-1, 31 points) also started their spring season on the right foot, pulling off a 2-1 win against Virginia Development Academy (6-7-3, 21 points). VDA had the lead going into the half with a goal from defender Caroline Joyce in the 20th minute. But PFA came storming back in the second half with forwards Alison McVey (59’) and Elizabeth Rising (72’) finding the equalizer and the match-winners, respectively.

Top of the Southeast Division table NTH Tophat (14-1-3, 45 points) got all they could handle in a 3-3 draw with second place Charlotte Soccer Academy (11-4-2, 35 points) on Saturday. Alexis Wright (8’ and 15’) scored twice in the first half to give NTH the early 2-0 lead. CSA pulled within one before halftime though with Emma Sexton’s strike in the 20th minute. In the second half, the two sides engaged in a steady back and forth of goals, with CSA equalizing twice thanks to goals from Emily Morris (70’) and Savanna Riggs (80’). Ella Zimmerman’s (71’) goal for NTH was enough to pull them ahead temporarily, but credit to CSA for drawing level in the end.

Weston FC (11-5-1, 31 points) closed in on the top three with their 3-0 win over Boca United Football Club (6-12-1, 19 points). First-half goals for Kaitlyn Pensabene (3’) and Alyssa Arias (31’) set the tone for the Weston attack on the day, who have scored 37 goals this season. In the second half, a goal from Jessica Gonzalez in the 45th minute put things away, giving them their third consecutive win.

The Orlando Pride (10-9-0, 30 points) also found themselves with three points on the weekend after defeating United Soccer Alliance (1-14-2, 5 points). The Pride struck early and often in the first with goals coming in from defender Lauren Nichols (11’), midfielder Audrey Buck (13’), and forwards Madison Jones (18’) and Isabella Recinos (33’). In the second half, the Pride defense locked down, and the clean sheet was shared by goalkeepers Isabella Hernandez (40 minutes) and Leila Soto (40 minutes).

Results

Northeast
New York City Football Club 1- Oakwood Soccer Club 0 (03/04)

Atlantic
FC Virginia 3-Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia 0 (03/03)
Penn Fusion Soccer  Academy 2-Virginia Development Academy 1(03/03)

Southeast
Boca United Football Club 0-Weston FC 3 (03/03)
IMG Academy 1-West Florida Flames 5 (03/03)
United Soccer Alliance 0-Orlando Pride 4 (03/03)
NTH Tophat 3-Charlotte Soccer Academy 3 (03/03)
United Futbol Academy-NC Courage (03/04)

U-16/U-17

In a battle of the top four in the Northeast Division on Saturday, second place New York City Football Club (12-4-1, 37 points) edged fourth place Oakwood Soccer Club (6-9-1, 19 points) 2-1. Alexandra Vucenovic gave NYCFC the early 1-0 advantage in the eighth minute. Oakwood respond with a goal of their own just before halftime with midfielder Natalie Tavana hitting the back of the net in the 35th minute. The second prove dto be just as close as the first with both sides coming close to finding the match-winner. In the end though, it would be Remi White of NYCFC who earned her side three points with her goal in the 87th minute.

In the Atlantic, Penn Fusion Academy (12-2-1, 37 points) further tightened their hold on first place with a 6-0 win over the Virginia Development Academy (3-11-2, 11 points). Things were rather close in the first half with PFA’s goal from midfielder Julia Burnell in the third minute being the difference. In the second half, the PFA attack blew things wide open with goals coming in from defenders Anna Savlucci (52’) and Julianna Bell (73’), midfielders Taylor Kauffman (65’) and Catherine DeRosa (75’), and forward Chloe Adler (71’). Saturday’s output was the sixth time this season that the club has scored more than four goals in a match.

FC Virginia (8-5-4, 28 points) closed the gap on idle Sky Blue PDA with a 1-1 draw against Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia (8-6-3, 27 points). It looked like Virginia might get all three points on the day after forward Carrie McIntire’s goal in the 34th minute. But the Spirit leveled the score in the second half with Jasmine Hamid finding the equalizer in the 70th minute.

+READ: U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team defeats France 1-0 in friendly

NTH Tophat (13-2-2, 41 points) fended off Charlotte Soccer Academy (5-5-7, 22 points) in a Southeast Division battle with a 3-3 result. The two sides traded leads all throughout the match with Talia DellaPuerta (12’) and Talia Staude (31’) scoring for Tophat and Kate Herrmann (26’), Maggie Lloyd (50’) and Asha Means (55’) scoring for CSA. But Tophat would earn a point from the match thanks to a late goal from Sofia Black in the 84th minute.

Tophat’s tie benefited second place United Soccer Alliance (13-3-1, 40 points), whose 3-0 win over Orlando Pride (4-11-4, 16 points) meant that their side would inch closer to first. Olufolasade Adamolekun (30’ and 86’) scored twice for USA while Sarah Brunner added a third in the 39th minute. Meanwhile, the USA defense posted their eighth shutout on the season and their second in as many matches.

IMG Academy (12-6-0, 36 points) also gained ground on first with their 5-2 win over West Florida Flames (1-15-1, 4 points). Riley Thompson (17’, 47’, and 67’) secured a hat trick in the match, pushing her goal total to 15 on the season, sixth most among all Girls U-16/U-17 players in the USSDA. Kendra Maki (75’) and Allison Kukanza (81’) provided IMG with two late goals to further cement their lead. West Florida’s goals came from Madision Brunson and Taylor Yount in the 8th and 90th minutes, respectively.

Results

Northeast
New York City Football Club 2-Oakwood Soccer Club 1 (03/03)

Atlantic
FC Virginia 1-Washington Soccer Academy-Virginia 1 (03/03)
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 6 -Virginia Development Academy 0 (03/03)

Southeast
Boca United Football Club 2-Weston FC 1 (03/03)
IMG Academy 5-West Florida Flames 2 (03/03)
United Soccer Alliance 3-Orlando Pride 0 (03/03)
NTH Tophat 3-Charlotte Soccer Academy 3 (03/03)
United Futbol Academy 0-NC Courage 2 (03/04)

U-18/U-19

Oakwood Soccer Club (6-8-1, 19 points) pulled off the upset on Saturday, shocking second place New York City Football Club (9-6-2, 29 points) by the score of  3-1 . NYCFC took the lead in the first half with a goal from Rebecca Jarrett in the 18th minute. But Oakwood scored three unanswered goals via Leah Barbieri (32’), Maddie Kiely (57’), and Emily Zaccagnini (82’). The win marks the first time all season that Oakwood has defeated a top three side in the Northeast Division.

In the Atlantic, FC Virginia (13-4-0, 39 points) held on to their top spot with a 3-2 win over Washington Spirit Academy-Virginia (5-7-5, 20 points). Forward Victoria Powell gave Virginia the early 1-0 advantage with her goal in the 5th minute of play, her 16th on the season. But the Spirit responded with a goal of their own in the first half, courtesy of Lianna Smith’s shot in the 27th minute. Virginia took the lead again just before halftime with defender Sydney Ash’s strike in the 41st minute. They added an insurance strike in the second half with midfielder Sarah Philip finding the back of the net in the 80th minute. The Spirit pulled back to within one with a goal from Camryn Taylor in the 90th minute, but FCV was able to hold on for the three points.

+READ: U.S. U-15 Girls National Team roster set for camp in Norco, Calif.

Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (11-3-1, 34 points) kept up with FC Virginia in the standings with a 2-0 win of their own over the Virginia Development Academy (4-9-3.15 points). Emma Steigerwald and Rowan Lapi gave PFA the early 2-0 lead with goals in the 19th and 33rd minute. Meanwhile, their defense led by goalkeeper Anna Maria Thomas, and defenders Grace Voss (90 minutes), Sophie Pinnie (55 minutes), Jaime McInroy (44 minutes), Madeline Loughead  (35 minutes), and Relly Ladner (46 points) prevented VDA from getting any sort of rhythm in the attacking third and earn their fifth shutout of the 2017-2018 season.

The NC Courage (14-0-2, 44 points) held onto their undefeated season for one more week with a 2-1 win over the United Futbol Academy (7-9-1, 22 points). After a close first half, the Courage finally broke through with Maggie Pierce providing the opening goal in the 69th minute. UFA equalized with a Reagan Smith strike in the 86th minute, but NC found a way to win. This time, the heroics would came from Madison Reid in the 90th minute.

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Tophat’s win gave them a bit of a reprieve as fellow undefeated side NTH Tophat (13-0-5, 44 points) only managed a 1-1 draw against Charlotte Soccer Academy (8-5-4, 28 points). NTH Tophat initially fell behind after just one minute from a goal by Claire Broderdorp (1’), but Tophat continued to press and found the equalizer in the 76th minute from Raegan Kelley.

Results

Northeast
New York City Football Club 1-Oakwood Soccer Club 3 (03/03)

Atlantic
FC Virginia 3-Washington Soccer Academy-Virginia 2 (03/03)
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 2 -Virginia Development Academy 0 (03/03)

Southeast
Boca United Football Club 3-Weston FC 0 (03/03)
IMG Academy 0-West Florida Flames 2 (03/03)
United Soccer Alliance 3-Orlando Pride 3 (03/03)
NTH Tophat 1-Charlotte Soccer Academy 1 (03/03)
United Futbol Academy 1-NC Courage 2 (03/04)