ECNL weekend preview: March 24-25
March 23, 2012
There are rivalries, and then there are rivalries with a bit of history.
For FC Stars of Massachusetts and PDA U18, the latter is applicable. The two teams have met the previous two years in the ECNL national playoffs at the semifinal round.
PDA has come out on top in both contests by the same score, 2-1. But has been defeated in the final by California clubs in both finals . . . probably to the delight of FC Stars of Massachusetts.
Morgan Andrews
On Sunday, FC Stars will get a shot of their own for a bit of payback with the first meeting of the season between the perennial title-contenders. There will be plenty of stars on display come Sunday as well. FC Stars of Massachusetts boost the no. 1, Morgan Andrews, and no. 19, Hayley Dowd, for the class of 2013 top 100.
This weekend also marks the last ECNL games for Andrews, PDA’s Carolina Chagares, Slammers’ Madeline Bauer, and many others before they depart for the final training camp with the U17 Women’s National Team in preparation for World Cup qualifiers.
U14
FC Dallas hosts TSC Hurricane and Dallas Texans over the weekend in the great Lone Star state. FC Dallas is currently first in the conference standings with a 10-2-2 record, but Texans are not far behind with a 7-2-2 record.
In Minnesota, the Thunder Academy and FC Milwaukee return to play after a lengthy layoff. FC Milwaukee has been on break since the end of October. Before going in hibernation, the club from Wisconsin had a good start to the season with a 4-1-2 record. Dani Rhodes leads the team in goals with three.
U15
Mustang SC hosts Crossfire Premier and Washington Premier in one of many matchups between the clubs across the various ages. Mustang is currently 3-1-3 on the season in the National Standings at the U15 age, and barely trails Crossfire, which is 3-2-1.
U16
Slammers SC have a chance to move up the standings both in the conference and on the national stage with two games over the weekend. Slammers start on Friday with a game against Surf, which struggled prior to the break for high school with three consecutive losses.
Surf star forward Pilar Torres will be counted on to right the ship for the San Diego club, as it looks to climb from 20th in the Flight A standings back into playoff contention.
Slammers round out the two-game weekend on Saturday with a game against Arsenal FC. Slammers will be counting on the high-flying attacking trio of MacKenzie Cerda, Lauren Guerra, and Kayla Mills to power past the Temecula club.
On the other coast, FC Stars of Massachusetts meet PDA in an important Flight A clash. PDA is currently 12th in the national standings. FC Stars is on the outside of the playoff bubble in the 17th spot.
U17
National Flight A leaders Scorpions SC finally return to action this weekend. Scott Caldwell’s team takes on PDA and World Class FC in Northeast Conference play. Scorpions started the season undefeated thanks to the tandem of Madison Meehan and McKenzie Meehan who have combined for five goals and three assists in four games. Andrea O’Brien is also off to a hot start for Scorpions SC with two goals and an assist.
Northwest Conference leaders Mustang SC host Washington Premier and Crossfire Premier over the weekend. Mustang is undefeated in conference play this year with a 7-1-0 record. Defender and Stanford commit Stephanie Amack leads the way for the Northern California club in the quest to better last year’s 13th place finish.
U18
In the U18 bracket, Mustang SC is looking to bypass Crossfire Premier in the standings on Sunday. The Washington club currently holds the top spot in the Northwest Conference thanks to a 2-0-0 record to start the season, ECNL standings are determined by points per game.
However, Mustang SC is absolutely crushing the opposition this year. With nine games played, Mustang has only conceded one goal in conference play on the way to a 8-1-0 record. For the team that finished seventh in the nation last year, this is business as usual.
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