Jefferson Cup, Day Two: Bryan Park plays host to quality Under-12, -13, -14 action

19 Mar, 2011
By Abby Fazio

Richmond, Va. – Day two of Jefferson Cup girls’ weekend action at downtown Richmond’s Bryan Park featured cheering fans, supportive friends and family members, and talented young players representing numerous teams from across the country.

The teams that played today displayed a strong contrast to the older teams that played at Striker Park the day before. College coaches swarmed the fields on Friday, scouting out hopeful collegiate players, while Bryan Park did not hold this particular pressure. However, all U-12, U-13 and U-14 teams came out to play hard and compete.

The venue played host to 28 matches on Saturday, kicking off with a 9:00 am U-13 Championship division match in which New Jersey’s Arsenal Dynamite topped Scorpions Elite (Mass.) 2-1.

Following Arsenal’s victory, Montgomery MSC Coyotes (Md.) battled it out with Landisville, Pa.-based side Penn Legacy FC 97 Black in the same division. Each team was aggressive right from the whistle and both teams had opportunities at net, but held strong defensively. The game ended 0-0.

At the end of the game, Montgomery head coach Alex Gould said that he expects that the U-13 teams present at Jefferson Cup will all be strong, making for an evenly matched tournament.

Next up, Pennsylvania’s Beadling Gunners faced off against Palm Beach Magicjacks FC 96/97 (Fl.) in a U-14 Championship division match. Magicjacks FC took the lead early on, securing three goals in the first half. The Gunners responded with a goal before the half and dominated possession in the second half, testing Magicjacks’ goalie, but weren’t able to execute as Magicjacks cruised to a 5-1 win.

A U-13 Championship game took place nearby between CRUSA/FC Freedom (Pa.) and TNFC 98 Azzurri from Tennessee. As the girls went head-to-head demonstrating energy, aggressiveness and technical skill, Freedom scored the only goal of the game during the first half as it ended 1-0 with Freedom on top.

As each team high-fived their opponents at the end of each game, the next teams were already taking the field. There wasn’t a moment wasted, resulting in a high-paced atmosphere as play continued. Colorado Storm 99 Royal played HBC Intense Impact 98 from New York in a U-12 Championship game. Colorado’s yellow-clad team brought the pressure on offense, but neither side could break the deadlock and another game finished 0-0.

At first, the scoreless first-half trend continued in a U-14 Championship game featuring Penn Fusion SA ’96 and Parkville SC Baltimore ’97 from the Baltimore area. Penn Fusion secured two goals during the second half and while Parkville scored with only minutes left in the game, Fusion brought home the win, 2-1.

CSA 97 Charlotte SA Torsion from North Carolina started off the match against CRUSA/FC Bucks Wildcats (Pa.) with eagerness which quickly changed somber, as one of their forwards departed the field in an ambulance due to a dislocated knee. Despite the setback, they continued to play aggressively while the Wildcats passed with purpose and communicated well. However, Torsion scored a goal late in the second half, ending the game 1-0.

Passing lunchtime, teams started to play their second round of games for the day. Sunburned faces and brief injuries didn’t keep the girls from continuing to play hard and have fun.

Albertson SC Albertson Fury 98 from New York played Atlanta Fire United SA AFU 99 Elite from Georgia in a U-12 Championship match. Both Albertson and Atlanta each scored near the end of the first half, adding another tie for the day.

The U-12 Championship 11-v-11 game at 3:00 pm was a blur of gold and blue. The small players of Sunrise Sting (Fl.) and Ontario, Canada-based side Cleveland FC Royal certainly did not play small. The Floridians showed the crowd their fearless spirit, while Cleveland repeatedly made excellent runs down the wings.

Sunrise’s #18 scored the only goal of the game early in the second half, although Cleveland greatly tested their goalie in the second half.

Palm Beach Magicjacks played Farmingdale SC United from New York in a U-13 Superior battle dominated by forwards. Magicjacks set the pace of the game with two goals during the first half before Farmingdale closed the gap with a goal from #93.

The last goal of the game was scored #3 from Magicjacks, who dribbled deep into the right corner of the field and crossed the ball over the goalie,where it hit off of the far post and into the net as Magicjacks won 3-1.

One of the last games of the day was a U-12 Championship clash between Colorado Storm and YMS Xplosion (Pa.). Even at 4:30 pm, excitement remained high and players from both teams didn’t show signs of fatigue from the big weekend. Shortly after Colorado scored, Xplosion capitalized off a penalty kick and tied the game.

Colorado’s #11 took advantage of a breakaway during the second half , taking the goalie on 1 v 1 and confidently placing the ball in net to win the game 2-1.

In U-13 Superior action, Penn Fusion came out strong right from the whistle and secured two goals early on against northern Virginia’s Loudoun Soccer. Loudoun began to find their stride and tried to challenge Fusion’s goalie, heading a beautiful corner kick delivery just over the crossbar. Although Loudoun fought for a comeback, Fusion’s #18 used her speed to dribble the ball into the net and her team held their lead for a 3-1 final.

[+Click here for the full list of results from Jefferson Cup girls’ weekend]