Jefferson Cup 2025 Girls Showcase Recap: Elite teams shine in Richmond

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By Sean Maslin
SoccerWire Staff Writer

Richmond, VA – The 2025 Jefferson Cup Girls Showcase, one of the top tournaments in the country, was held from March 21-23, featuring over 500 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 24 different U.S. states and Canada went head-to-head.

The Jeff Cup also played host to hundreds 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 and for their respective playoffs. (COLLEGE COACHES)

(+Players That Impressed: Jefferson Cup 2025 Girls Showcase)

“We look at it as playoff prep,” said Penn Fusion SA ECNL 2008 head coach Craig Scangarella “In the old ECNL we used to play crossover games but we don’t do that anymore. Playing in the Jefferson Cup allows us to play other ECNL teams that we may face down the road in the playoffs. This event always challenges us and gives us a good test in the middle of our season.”

U15 Showcase Division

Bracket A

World Class FC 2010 ECNL: In Bracket A, World Class FC 2010 ECNL (3-0-0, 28 points) pulling off an undefeated weekend in Richmond. World Class started off the weekend by holding two potent attacks in FC Prime 2010 ECNL (4-1) and VDA 2010 ECNL (3-1) to a goal apiece. On Sunday, they earned their first shutout by blanking NVA ECNL G10 4-0. In addition to their strong defensive work, their attack was also on point all weekend with their eleven goals being tied with Fairfax Union ECNL 10 for the most in the U15 Showcase Division.

FC DELCO ECNL 2010: Finishing in second place in the bracket were FC DELCO ECNL ‘10 (3-0-0, 27 points) who earned three consecutive victories over VDA 2010 ECNL (2-0), NVA ECNL 10 (3-0), and NC Courage ECNL Academy 10 (2-1). Their one goal allowed was the lowest among all U15 Showcase Division teams and they were the only team to secure two clean sheets.

Fairfax Union ECNL 2010: Rounding out the top three in Bracket A were Fairfax Union ECNL 10 (3-0-0, 27 points), who retained their perfect record on Sunday by holding off PDA ECNL Blue 2010 for the 4-3 victory. Sunday wasn’t their only nail-biter as they battled it out against Bethesda SC ECNL 2010 in a match which saw them come out on top 2-1. Those two victories, coupled with the 6-0 win over Century United 10 GA on Friday gave the group three solid victories as they prepare for the ECNL National Playoffs.

Bracket B

Baltimore Armour 2010 GA: Baltimore Armour (2-0-1, 21 points) finished atop Group B narrowly edging out SUSA FC New England ECNL RL 1-1 for first place on Sunday. Their close draw capped off an exceptional weekend for the Maryland team who secured back-to-back victories over Alleycats 2010 ECNL RL (2-0) and CFC ECNL RL 10 (2-1) to start their weekend. Their two goals allowed was the lowest among all teams in the U15 Showcase Bracket B Division.

SUSA 2010 ECNL: Although SUSA (2-0-1, 21 points) just missed out on the top spot in Group B, they more than proved that they can play some of the top teams in the country. Their draw on Sunday was preceded by two one goal victories over Sunrise Surf 2010 ECNL RL (3-2) and NCFC Youth 10G ECNL (1-0) to put them near the top of the leaderboard.

Sunrise Surf 2010 ECNL Regional League: Sunrise Surf (1-1-1, 17 points) bounced back after their loss on Friday to finish third in Bracket B. After losing their first match in Richmond, they knocked off East Meadow SC ECNL 10 2-0 to earn full points. Sunday delivered another strong performance from Surf, who drew level with HEX FC Bucks ECNL 10 3-3. Their seven goals scored was the most among all U15 Showcase Bracket B Division teams.

U16 Championship Division

VDA ECNL 2009 ECNL: VDA finished first in the U16 Championship Division (3-0-0, 27 points) earning three consecutive victories over SUSA FC ECNL 09 (3-2), FC DELCO ECNL ‘09 (3-2) and World Class FC 2009 (3-0). Their attack was on point all weekend with their nine goals scored being the most among all U16 Championship Division teams.

Penn Fusion ECNL 2009: Penn Fusion placed second (2-0-1, 22 points) in the Championship Division. The girls started their run strong on Friday by knocking off Fairfax Union ECNL 09 2-0. On Sunday, they ended the weekend with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Nationals SC ECNL 2009. Highlighting their successful showcase weekend was a signature performance against Richmond United on Saturday, as Penn Fusion pulled off a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Richmond United ECNL 2009.

Midfielder Mia Gutowski (2028) led the scoring charge for Penn Fusion, hammering home a brace in the second half. Her goals were sandwiched by a strike by forward Brianna Young (2027) giving PFSA their second win in the Championship Division. “I thought it was a really competitive game against a really good team [Richmond] that has already made the [ECNL] playoffs,” said Penn Fusion head coach Ellis Baldillo. “We had to make a couple of changes in the first half and we had to try a few different players at different positions. But once we settled down in the second half we showed up.”

(+Scout’s View: Class of 2027 Standouts from the Jefferson Cup Girls Showcase)

Richmond United wasted little time getting onto the scoreboard. After having scored 29 goals in the ECNL’s Mid-Atlantic Conference this season they wasted little time getting onto the scoreboard on Saturday with Lexi Newman (2028) and Bella Villasana (2027) scoring both of their goals early in the first half.

Despite being down two goals, Penn Fusion kept the game within reach and entered the second half with a change of energy. “We were just panicking a little bit,” said Baldillo. “We had a couple of defensive players that were out due to injuries so we had to make some adjustments. Not any great changes, just consolidating what we had defensively and coming out with a renewed sense of confidence. We are a possession-oriented team and when we are not playing with any confidence, we are not the same team.”

That confidence returned early for Penn Fusion in the second half with Gutowski smashing in their first goal early to cut Richmond’s lead to one. United nearly had their goal back minutes later when forward Bella Villsana slipped past the Penn Fusion defense and hit a low, pacey shot toward goal. However, goalkeeper Isabella Kail timed her dive perfectly to make the save and end the attacking chance.

With a goal on the board and a crisis averted, Penn Fusion went back on the attack. Forward Macie Osunde used her speed and quick touches to open up play for Penn Fusion towards the end of the second half. With Richmond’s defense vulnerable, Taylor and Gostowski found space deep inside their defensive third scoring successive goals to end the match in Penn Fusion’s favor.

“[Playing in the Jefferson Cup] is always great for us,”said Baldillo. “We play in a good ECNL bracket but we don’t get the chance to meet a lot of these teams during the season. So getting the chance to play against some high quality teams from different regions gives us a chance to look at different coaching techniques and formations and as well as individual standout players. We have big goals for this season so the more opportunities we get to play against top level competition the better it prepares for the postseason.”

SUSA FC ECNL 2009: SUSA FC rounded out the top three in the U16 Championship Division, booking a 2-0-1 record on 20 points. After falling just short against VDA in their opener on Friday (2-3) they regrouped and pulled off two consecutive impressive results over NC Courage ECNL Academy 09 (2-1), and Fairfax Union ECNL 09 (4-0). With eight goals scored they tied with FC DELCO ECNL ‘09 for the second most goals in the U16 Championship Division.

U17 Championship Division

VDA ECNL 2008: VDA finished first in the U17 Championship Division (2-0-1, 24 points) but it did not come easy. After knocking off SUSA FC ECNL 08 (6-2) and Oakwood Soccer Club 08 GA (3-0) they had their hands full on Sunday against World Class FC. Despite playing a tough opponent they held on with a 2-2 draw to claim top honors. Their high-powered certainly helped their chances down in Richmond with their ten goals leading all teams in the U17 Championship Division.

Penn Fusion ECNL 2008: Penn Fusion continued their storied run across all competitions down in Richmond, finishing in second in the U17 Championship Division (2-0-1, 22 points). In a battle of two of the top 2008 teams from across the country, they came out on top against NC Courage on Saturday, earning a tough 3-1 victory on Saturday. Their victory came after another impressive result on Friday, drawing with NVA ECNL 08 2-2. They finished up their time in Virginia with a 2-1 win over Richmond United ECNL 08.

During Saturday’s battle against NC Courage, Kate Kemmerley (2026 Notre Dame Commit) led the scoring charge for Penn Fusion with a brace. Ava Reddy (2026 Wake Forest Commit) added a solo strike to give the reigniting ECNL National Champions their first victory in the U17 Championship Division.

The Courage’s lone goal came from Jordan Davis (2026 Uncommitted) late in the second half.

This isn’t the first time that Penn Fusion and the Courage have battled one another. Last year in the U16 Championship at the Jefferson Cup, the two sides fought in a 5-3 slugfest that saw Penn Fusion come out on top.

That experience was instrumental in Penn Fusion’s preparation for Saturday’s match according to their head coach Craig Scangarella.

“We played Courage here last year (a 5-3 victory) and they are a phenomenal club,” he said. “They do some amazing things with the ball and when they have a style of play with how they maintain possession and rotate players in and out that we do not see often. So I was really happy with the result.”

Penn Fusion wasted little time setting the tone with Kemmerley scoring their first goal in just the third minute of the match.

Despite taking the lead early their defense was tested consistently throughout the first half.The Courage used their speed on the outside to consistently apply pressure to the Penn backline. But their back four held firm with defenders Olivia Rubinich (2026 Michigan State Commit), Regan Taylor (2026 Colgate Commit)and Meryn Primanti (2026 New Hampshire Commit) working together to close down passing lanes to the inside and make decisive clearances.

“For us, our defense creates offense,” said Scangarella. “The way we press is in our foundation and that is how we want to attack the match. We knew that from playing them last year that we could not press them up high, that we needed to sit a little bit and let the game come to us.”

The Courage’s best chance at an equalizer came towards the end of the first half when Kate Crawford hammered a high curling shot at goal. However, goalkeeper Cate Cantù managed to get a fingertip on it and parry the chance over the bar.

After absorbing the Courage attack for most of the first half Penn Fusion came out in the second looking for more goals. They found it early with Reddy hitting a low shot early in the half. Kemmerley added a second off of a header to further extend the lead to 3-0. Although Davis closed the gap to two towards the end of the match they were unable to break through for a second.

NVA ECNL 2008: Finishing in third place in the U17 Championship Division was NVA ECNL 08 (1-0-2, 19 points), who started their weekend with consecutive 2-2 draws against Penn Fusion ECNL 08 and SUSA FC ECNL 08. On Sunday, they finally earned their first victory knocking off FC DELCO ECNL 08 3-1 to earn their spot in the top three.

U19 Championship Division

Arlington SA 07/06 ECNL: Arlington SA claimed the top spot in the U19 Championship Division by earning two wins and a draw on 23 points. Their weekend was bookended by a pair of impressive wins over IMG Academy 07/06 GA (4-1) and New England Surf 2007/06 State Navy (3-0). On Saturday, they stymied the strong attack of Nationals Blue ECNL 07/06 long enough to draw level at 1-1.

Penn Fusion ECNL 2006: Penn Fusion (2-0-1, 22 points) finished off their weekend with two high-scoring attacking performances against NC Courage ECNL Academy 06/07 (3-2) and Fairfax Union 07 Girls (6-1). Their nine goals were tied with Arlington for the most in the U19 Championship Division. On Friday, their defense took center stage shutting out VDA 2007 ECNL in a scoreless draw.

Maryland United FC ECNL 2006: Maryland United FC earned a top three finish in their final Jefferson Cup finishing off the weekend with a 3-1 win against Nationals Blue ECNL 07/06. Their defense was also in fine form throughout their three matches earning twp clean sheets against Cedar Stars Academy Monmouth 07/06 GA (0-0) and IMG Academy 07/06 GA (1-0). Their one goal allowed was the lowest among all U19 Championship Division teams.