Jefferson Cup 2024 Championship Division Preview: U15 Girls

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SoccerWire continues its annual article series previewing the Jefferson Cup’s Championship Divisions. In this edition, we take a look ahead at the U15 Girls age group.

This year’s Championship Division features eight of the top teams in the country in a two-bracket format. The top two sides in each bracket will compete in the Finals on Sunday, March 10.

Bracket A

Bethesda SC ECNL 09 (MD) Coming off of an inspired North Atlantic Conference opener in which they battled Maryland United hard but fell 1-0, Bethesda’s 09s will certainly be looking to make an impression at this year’s tournament. The side features multiple players whoa are coming off of strong high school seasons including Sydney Mednik, who won Rookie of the Year honors with Churchill.

Richmond United ECNL 09 (VA): Outscored their opponents 7-2 in their last four matches (3-1-0, 9 points) pushing the team into fifth in a tough ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference (7-4-1, 22 points). Richmond will be looking to improve upon a 2023 Jefferson Cup Championship Division performance in which they went undefeated in their group (2-0-1, 5 points) but finished second.

STA GA 09 (NJ): Ended the GA Winter Showcase on a high note, winning their third game 3-1 over Century United. Led by 2009 USYNT Talent ID Center invitee/goalkeeper Charlotte Nelson enter the Jefferson Cup looking to kickstart their GA campaign and earn a second consecutive National Playoff appearance.

TSJ FC Virginia GA 09 (VA): A tough defensive team that can pull out results, TSJ FC Virginia are coming off of a GA Champions Cup run in which they earned three tough draws (1-1 against both Albion SC San Diego and South Shore Select and 2-2 over Colorado Rush). In league play, they have earned strong results over Baltimore Armour , Sporting Athletic Club, and Century United Soccer Club (each by 2-0 scorelines) and find themselves right in the middle of the Mid-Atlantic Conference playoff hunt (5-4-0, 15 points).

Bracket B

Match Fit Academy ECNL 09 (NJ): Looking to earn another ECNL National Playoff postseason berth, Match Fit have started ECNL North Atlantic Conference play strong, holding off Penn Fusion Academy 2-1 while earning a strong 2-2 draw against FC DELCO.

Northern Virginia Alliance ECNL 09 (VA): One of the top 2009 teams in the ECNL, Northern Virginia are currently sporting an undefeated record in Mid-Atlantic Conference play (10-0-1, 31 points). NVA are a highly balanced side that can score at will (27 goals, second highest in the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Conference) but also grind it out in close matches (6 goals allowed, lowest in the Conference). Look for forward Morgan Blelloch, who was recently called up to the USYNT Talent ID Center event in Pennsylvania, to play a major role in NVA’s attack.

SUSA Academy ECNL 09 (NY): Earned back-to-back 3-0 wins over Connecticut FC and East Meadow SC to start their ECNL Northeast Conference season. At the recent NEFC Thanksgiving Showcase, SUSA went undefeated in three matches while outscoring their opponents 10-0.

VDA ECNL 09 (VA): Started 2023-2024 ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference play in fine form, winning their first four matches while outscoring their opponents 13-1. At the Bethesda Premier Cup in November, VDA placed first in the top flight, earning victories over Bethesda SC (3-2), NJ Blaze (3-2), and McLean (2-1) in the Group Stage and defeating Northern Virginia Alliance 1-0 in the final.