LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Wind and a chill in the air greeted participants and spectators on the final day of action at the Disney Showcase in Lake Buena Vista. For most of the week, visitors to the Disney Wide World of Sports complex just outside of Orlando enjoyed the typical Florida sun and warmth but a cold front overnight changed the tactics of every team participating after group played wrapped up on Thursday. It also produced a long line in front of the hot chocolate station inside the Jostens Center at the complex. Alas, here is a recap of some of the contests:

 

 

 

West Florida Flames entered Friday's contest knowing its opponent was ranked 38 spots ahead of where the Flames sat at No. 70 in the nation. Playing with a chip on its shoulder -- and with a dynamic player like Pablo Valencia-Vargas, the Flames cruised to a 5-0 rout in scintillating fashion to win the gold medal.

 

Valencia-Vargas scored four goals and assisted on another as the Flames finished the tournament without losing a game over four contests. 

 

"He is an incredibly creative player on and off the ball and he demonstrated that today," said Flames assistant coach Chris Camasso, who was the team's game manager Friday after head coach Mike Lawrence was forced to sit after being assessed a red card during Thursday's match. 

 

Valencia-Vargas finished the event with seven goals and three assists.

 

"We wanted to showcase what type of team we have and my teammates did a great job in creating opportunities for me," Valencia-Vargas said.

 

After scoring in the 7th minute against FC Dallas on a nifty zig-zag play through the defense, he duplicated the feat in the 24th minute when he maneuvered through a couple defenders to put his team ahead 2-0. 

 

Valencia-Vargas continued his onslaught in the second half with a tally in the 59th minute. After assisting on Nate To's goal two minutes later, Valencia-Vargas finished his day with a goal in the 65th minute. 

 

Luke Frank and Jake Buffaline split duties as goalkeeper to preserve the shutout. 

 

 

Gage Souder scored on a wind-aided direct kick in extra time to help the Titans claim a 1-0 victory in the finals of the U17 USYS National League. Souder's goal came two minutes into the first overtime period after the two teams battled to a scoreless tie in regulation.

 

"The wind was difficult for both teams to deal with but we made it a point to possess the ball as much as we could and build out of the back," Titans coach Mike Lamarca said. 

 

Both teams had several chances to score when they had the wind to their back but they kept lifting the ball over the goal due to the conditions. 

 

Lamarca praised the effort of his two center backs, Craig Potts and Loc San, for the work they did preventing McLean from scoring.

 

"They made sure the back line of defense was intact and the midfielders kept their shape," Lamarca said. 

 

Dean Hughes did a similar job as the captain of McLean's defense.

 

 

FSA FC Elite used a pair of second-half goals from Michael Lanouette and Ben Pierce to overcome a 2-0 halftime deficit to earn a 6-2 victory over Clay County in the finals. 

 

"Once we had the wind at our back in the second half, our true talent came out," said Lanoutte, who also assisted on a goal. "We didn't get tense or get worried because we knew what type of team we had."

 

Lanoutte scored two minutes into the second half when he received a through ball from Pierce and split the defense to push the ball into the right side of the goal. He scored a similar goal three minutes later but finished with a stronger striker past the Clay County keeper. 

 

Lanoutte found Pierce in the 55th minute for a go-ahead goal and then set up a pass that led to Pierce's second tally of the game. 

 

 

Five different players scored for LEG-A-Z Soccer Caimans as the north central Florida team finished the week with four wins and no losses. 

 

Bryson Pink scored twice in the finals while Nazar Depuat, Nelson Hunsinger, Trent Morrison, and Ashraf Nawari each scored once. 

 

"It was an all-around team effort," LEG-A-Z coach Darnell Bernier said. "Rafael Bichier, our center back, and Trey Jackson, our attacking mid, have been key to our team's structure all week and they were huge in today's contest. They connect the back to the front and they demonstrated how efficient they are working together. Most of our goals came as a result of their play from back to front."

 

LEG-A-Z scored five goals in the first half despite playing with the wind in their face. Bernier said it was a result of the team working the ball from the back, starting with Bichier, and feeding it through Jackson.