Hundreds of college coaches on hand as 2024 Jefferson Cup Girls Showcase concludes

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Richmond, VA – The 2024 Jefferson Cup Girls Showcase, one of the top tournaments in the country, was held from March 15-17, featuring over 450 elite level teams across the U15-U19 age groups. (Full Results)

The event showcased some of the best cross-league competition of the year, as teams from 19 different U.S. states and Canada went head-to-head in brackets that included members of the top leagues in the country.

The event also played host to over 350 college coaches from across NCAA Divisions I, II and III, and other levels of the college game including NAIA. The ability for teams to play highly competitive matches in front of hundreds of college coaches from across the country makes the event provides them with both the opportunity to prepare for the spring season while also giving their players a chance to show what they can bring to the next level.

“[The Jefferson Cup] is always great,” said NC Courage Academy Director of Soccer Paul Forster. Forster filled in for NC Courage ECNL 2007 Academy head coach Willie Dean on their third match on Sunday against Match Fit Academy ECNL 07. Thanks to a late goal from Madyson Brown, the Courage pulled out  a 1-0 victory over Match Fit Academy to earn an undefeated record in the U17 Championship Division.

“We get the opportunity to play against that we don’t always see, which is nice, and the girls have been positively great this weekend. Playing in the Jefferson Cup gives us an opportunity to compete against some good teams which hopefully prepares us for the playoffs in the summer.”

To view full results from the Jefferson Cup Girls Showcase, click here. To view the full list of registered college coaches, click here.

Continue reading for a rundown of some of the top finishers across the U15-U19 Championship Divisions.

U15 Championship Division

In the U15 Championship Division Finals, Richmond United ECNL 09 held off their in-state rivals, VDA 2009 ECNL, 5-2 in a shootout at Glover Park. Richmond’s high-scoring attack was on full display all weekend having outscored their opponents 11-1 in Bracket A and winning all three of their matches (2-0 over TSJ FC Virginia 09 GA, 8-0 over Bethesda SC ECNL 1 2009, and 4-1 over STA 09 GA). VDA meanwhile had to rally to earn their spot in the finals. After losing their first against Northern Virginia Alliance ECNL 09 3-0, they ripped off back-to-back victories over Match Fit Academy ECNL 09 (3-1) and SUSA FC 09 ECNL (1-0).

U16 Championship Division

STA finished atop the U16 Championship Division with a strong effort on both the attack and the defense. They put an exclamation point on their three days in Richmond with a 2-0 win over New England Surf State Navy 2008.

Despite playing their third game in as many days against stiff competition, STA came out of the gates swinging against New England on Sunday. Center midfielder Brianna Concepcion put STA ahead early with a strong left-footed effort. After weathering the storm from the Surf attack, they struck again with center midfielder Anna Gominak  getting a valuable insurance goal towards the end of the first half.

In the second half, STA’s defense took over. Defenders Keala Cicchino , Ella Costanzo , and Catalina Mangone worked seamlessly together to push the Surf attack on their heels, limiting their influence in the defensive third. All three linked up with center midfielder/forward Mary Kate De Bono  and midfielder/forward Ava Chun to control the pace of the match, move STA into an attacking stance, and eat up the clock. Goalkeeper Sienna Goldstein (2026) had a strong first half and helped provide key tactical support in the second half to procure her second shutout of the Showcase.

“Our defensive line looked really solid and they were very focused on shutting down threats early,” said STA head coach Ferry Smedema. “When [Surf] were able to make the transition and had deeper threats in our defensive third we were ready to defend, block shots, and make emergency stops when we needed to.”

After holding back VDA ECNL 2008 on matchday one, they followed it up with back-to-back shutouts over Bethesda SC ECNL 2008 (3-0) and New England Surf State Navy (2-0) to mark the perfect weekend (3-0-0, 27 points.

STA GA 08 Top Bracket #1️⃣ 3/3
STA GA 07 Top Bracket 3/3 ??
STA 09 NAL Champs ?
STA 07 NAL Unbeaten 2-0-1 ??

What a weekend in VA at @jeffersoncup for some of our @GAcademyLeague & NAL teams in the girls showcase!

Super proud of you all ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/HfdtQ7e3Nd

— STA Soccer (@STA_Soccer) March 17, 2024

“Its fantastic,” said Smedema, about their three victories in the top flight. “Obviously we played in the highest bracket against a lot of ECNL competition. I think we showed we were able to deal with the challenges and with the physicality. But more importantly we showcased well in three good games with our possession style of play, we could break lines when needed, and we made the necessary adjustments.

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Northern Virginia Alliance ECNL 08 also had a strong weekend on the pitch, kicking off their undefeated run with a 2-0 win over Lou Fusz Athletic. Midfielders Audrey McKeen and Darien Vita each scored to lift NVA to their first Jefferson Cup Showcase victory.

Facing a strong Lou Fusz defense that is coming off of a deep Girls Academy Champions Cup run was no easy task to start the weekend for Northern Virginia. Vita led the charge, by tightly marking LFA’s center midfielders, giving them little space to create through the center of the pitch. Her energy early on helped stem the early advances by Lou Fusz and help kickstart the attack. Her efforts paid off midway through the first half when McKeen was able to break through the stout Lou Fusz line and deliver a solid, low shot into the back of the net.

After conceding early, Lou Fusz went immediately back into the attack looking for the equalizer. They were stop cold in their tracks on every turn with defenders Reese Alexander and Jayla Caldwell and midfielder Ava Ryan each making key stops to stop any possible goal-scoring opportunities in their defensive third. Caldwell and Ryan would also link up effectively down the flank with one making the stop and then finding the the other with acres of space to start the counter-attack.

Virginia’s efforts in opening up play from the outside continued into the second half and would lead to Vita earning NVA’s second goal of the  match. Although Lou Fusz would have some opportunities late, NVA’s defense would hold earning the 2-0 result. Their strong defensive work would continue onto Saturday where they would shut out SUSA FC 1-0. They ended their three game run down in Richmond with a 5-2 victory in a DMV derby match against Pipeline SC.

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Penn Fusion SA (2-0-1, 24 points) round out the top three, scoring 13 goals, which is the most goals in the U16 Championship Division . Their high-powered attack kicked things off with a scintillating performance against NC Courage ECNL Academy, earning the 5-3 victory. Goals for Penn Fusion were scored by Meryn Primanti, Daniela Vogel, Dylan Steinberg, Regan Taylor, and Ellie Kocher. After a back-and-forth first half between the two attacking sides Steinberg put her team ahead for good with a thunderbolt from distance making the score 2-1.

Game one of Jeff Cup against NC Courage was a success! Here is my goal from our 5-3 win! Let’s go fusion!!!@ImYouthSoccer @PrepSoccer @TopDrawerSoccer @TheSoccerWire @ECNLgirls @PennFusion_SA pic.twitter.com/EUMofmzaQc

— Dylan Steinberg (@dylansteinberg_) March 15, 2024

Penn would tack on three more in the second half to pull away from the Courage. They had another strong attacking performance on Saturday, defeating TSJ FC Virginia 08 GA 8-3. They finished Championship Division play on Sunday, matching World Class FC 2008 ECNL blow for blow in a 3-3 shootout at River City SportsPlex.

U17 Championship Division

NC Courage ECNL 2007 ECNL Academy (3-0-0, 28 points) topped the table in the U17 Championship, booking three clean sheets to help maintain their undefeated record. They ended their time at the Jefferson Cup with a difficult 1-0 win over a tough Match Fit Academy FC 07 ECNL group.

In their first two matches, the Courage dominated both sides of the pitch, providing lockdown defense work to go with their high-press high scoring attack. On Friday, they defeated TSJ FC Virginia 07G GA 5-0 with goals from Leah Kuklick, Amaris Bumba, and Katherine Osievsky. Their attack added three more on Saturday, with Bumba, Sarah Martinez, and Olivia Best all finding the back of the net.

In order to earn their undefeated mark, the Courage had to dig deep against a Match Fit team that had already grinded out results against Bethesda (2-1) and TSJ FC Virginia (1-1). Match Fit midfielder Rylie van Windergerden nearly had the opening goal in the 22nd minute, when she connected on a cross into the box from down the left flank. However, Courage goalkeeper Wicki Dunlap was there to make the stop. Van Windergerden had another goal-scoring opportunity in the 42nd minute with Dunlap there once again to halt her efforts.

As the second half progressed, the Courage midfield began to assert itself pushing up the field and spreading out play. This in turn forced Match Fit to chase for long periods of the match and opened up gaps in their backline. Bumba and Adrianna Bonnano worked seamlessly alongside Sarah Martinez to form a triangle through the midfield that helped create more attacking opportunities and give their defense a breather.

After some close chances, the Courage finally got on the board in the 68th minute. After earning a corner kick, Bonnano laced a high curling ball into the box right at the feet of forward Madyson Brown. Brown buried her chance into the back of the net to the Courage the win and the full points.

“It was a good game,” said Forster. “I felt like we dominated possession. We didn’t get as many chances as I would have liked, but we had a some solid possessions, and it was great to get the goal at the end.”

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Penn Fusion ECNL 2007 finished second in the table, going 3-0-0 on 27 points. Their attack led the charge, scoring nine goals which tied the Courage for the most in the Championship Division. After blanking Northern Virginia Alliance 3-0 on Friday, they held on Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth late to earn the 3-2 win. They finished their unbeaten run down in Richmond with another strong attacking effort on Sunday, downing SUSA FC 4-1.

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Rounding out the top three were World Class FC 2007 ECNL, who started their Showcase with consecutive shutout victories over VA Union 2007 ECNL (2-0) and Maryland United FC ECNL 07G (3-0). Their backline was tested on Sunday, facing a tough attacking team in Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth who had just went toe-to-toe with Penn Fusion on Saturday. But World Class showed their grit and determination, pulling off the 2-2 draw. Their two goals allowed was the second lowest among all U17 Championship Division teams.

 

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A post shared by WORLD CLASS 09 ECNL GIRLS (@wcfc2009_ecnlgirls)

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STA 2007 GA had a perfect 3-0-0 showing in the U17 Championship Division as well, recording three consecutive clean sheets along the way. Anchored by a dominant defensive unit, STA secured 1-0 victories over Maryland United 2007 ECNL, Virginia Union 2007 ECNL and Northern Virginia Alliance 2007 ECNL.

U19 Championship Division

Richmond United ECNL 05/06 claimed top honors in the oldest age bracket of the Championship Division, winning all three of their matches in their home city. They started the weekend strong, shutting out Maryland United FC ECNL 05/06G (3-0) following by a six goal victory over HEX FC Bucks ECNL 05/06G (6-1). On matchday three, they had a tough match-up against also unbeaten Bethesda SC ECNL 2006/05, but were able to pull out the 2-1 win.

Penn Fusion SA also went undefeated in the top flight (2-0-1, 23 points), earning victories over SJEB FC 05/06G GA (4-1) and Black Rock FC Academy | High Mowing Girls (5-0), while grinding out a 0-0 draw with VA Union 05/06 Girls ECNL. PFSA allowed just one goal through their three games, which was tied with the Union for the lowest among all U19 Championship Division teams.

Bethesda SC round out the top three, having earned two consecutive wins over Cleveland Force SC (8-0) and VDA 2006/2005 ECNL (2-0). Their eleven goals scored tied them with Richmond for the most among all teams in the top flight.