Photo Gallery: Day 5 of the ECNL National Finals

By Jimmy LaRoue

There may not have been any championships on the line today, but teams are playing to position themselves for those spots on Saturday.

Quarterfinal action began in the Under-16, U-17 and U-18 age groups, as well as Challenge B Field Games and quarterfinals in Flight B, with the heat and wind playing a factor throughout the day, and the national championship event. Thursday’s high temperature reached near 100 degrees before cloud cover rolled through Waukegan and cooled off players and spectators alike.

Though the weather affected play, there was still no shortage of dramatic action. In U-16s, Michigan Hawks defeated PDA 2-1 in overtime. In the U-17s, Slammers FC and Mustang FC played to a 0-0 tie in regulation and overtime before Slammers advanced in a penalty kick shootout. The U-18 matchup saw the same regulation result for PDA and Dallas Texans, with the Texans advancing to the semifinals.

See the full list of today’s scores, including Flight B and consolation matches, here.

And for the images of Day 5, see the below photo gallery. As you’ll see (and if you have been there, you’ve notice), there has been plenty of compelling action to keep the college coaches in attendance talking.