Jefferson Cup: Ashburn ASC beats FC Sting for U13 Championship division title

On the third and final day of the 2011 Jefferson Cup girls’ weekend, FC Sting Dynamite of New Jersey battled Virginia side Ashburn ASC in the Under-13 Championship division final at Bryan Park in downtown Richmond.

Both Sting and Ashburn brought the pressure right from the whistle to set the stage for a very physical match. Early on in the first half, a foul was called on one of Sting’s forwards, allowing a free kick for ASC right outside the 18-yard box. Reyuen Conner, Ashburn’s #13, stepped up to take the kick and delivered a solid shot to the top left corner of the goal that went right through the net.

ASC’s players cheered, but looked around to see if it was truly a goal, and fans questioned each other as the refs deliberated. There were in fact two holes in the back left corner of the net, and the goal was awarded to ASC.

“We pressured the ball really well. We played diagonal balls to spread their defense and then we capitalized on those opportunities to attack,” said Totan Roy, Ashburn ASC coach, afterwards. “Our main focus was diagonal passes, so that our midfielders could get the ball and run onto them.”

Although Sting started to work the ball down towards their opponents’ side of the field, Ashburn’s #3, Lindsey Gallagher made a game-changing pass, sending a through ball to #28, who scored on a low shot past the Sting goalie’s stellar dive.

After halftime, ASC’s #1 scored a goal, but was called offsides. Then Sting showed that that the game was far from over, as #7 from Sting outraced ASC’s goalie to a ball into the box and scored on a left-footer.

Sting had another chance to tie the game with minutes left as Ashburn was called for a handball in the box. However #8 took the shot and sent the ball wide of the right post.

Ashburn survived the tense final moments to secure a 2-1 victory and win their division at Jefferson Cup 2011.

“This team has a lot of heart, and they never give up,” said Roy as his team celebrated.