Action was fast and furious in the ECNL this past weekend, as the rising temperature of spring continues to add pressure to each weekend.

At the U17 level, two Midwest Conference teams faced off in a high stakes meeting, as Carmel United got the better of the Michigan Hawks by a 2-0 score. Carmel midfielder Morgan Proffitt helped to make the difference as the Indiana club won all three games on the weekend.

“Their 17s played well,” Hawks U17 coach Doug Landefeld told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “I think it was a pretty even game even though we lost 2-0.”

It was an extremely busy weekend for Carmel United, as the game against the Hawks was the second of three in three days, after a 2-0 win over Minnesota Thunder on Friday. They wrapped things up with another impressive performance on Sunday, a 5-0 defeat of Vardar to raise their record to 7-1-1 in the conference and push up the national standings.

Along with Proffitt, forward Tori Doss was active for Carmel, getting a pair of goals over the three-day stretch, while defenders Molly Pittman and Megan Kaser each combined well with the midfield to get on the score sheet.

Especially this weekend, defense is the key for Carmel’s success.

“We do feel like we have a very, very strong back line, and that’s why we very rarely concede goals,” Carmel U17 head coach Ralph Ricards told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “Five or six players in the midfield can hold their own against lots of midfields around the country.”

Meanwhile, the Hawks managed a point in their second game of the weekend, a 2-2 draw against Minnesota Thunder, wrapping up Michigan’s schedule for the year to finish with a conference record of 12-3-2.

Elsewhere at the U17 level, Colorado Storm split a pair of games, winning 3-1 over Sereno Soccer Club, before losing the second game on Sunday to SC Del Sol 1-0.

Ohio Premier Eagles split its pair of Virginia games, losing 3-2 to Richmond Strikers before securing a 2-0 win over FC Virginia to head back home with all three points.

U15

It was a good weekend for Penn Fusion’s U15s, as they traveled to Virginia and picked up a pair of wins, 2-0 over Bethesda and 1-0 over McLean…Vardar also took to the road and picked up two wins, defeating Minnesota Thunder Academy 2-1 and beating Carmel United 3-1...West Coast FC won big over Eagles Soccer Club 5-0 out in California.

U16

Vardar won a 4-3 shootout against Minnesota Thunder on Saturday…Carmel United defeated Vardar on Sunday 2-0…Sereno Soccer Club swept both games on the weekend to climb in the standings, defeating Colorado Storm 3-0 and Utah Avalanche by a 4-1 score line.

It was a busy weekend for the Thunder in particular, playing three matches on the weekend, and coming away empty in all three, losing 2-1 against Carmel United and 4-1 to Michigan Hawks.

In every game the Thunder had a lead or were tied with each opponent but couldn’t keep up. Amy Yang played well over the weekend and Lauren Miller picked up a pair of goals against Vardar.

“I had mixed emotions from the weekend,” Thunder head coach David Alberti told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “At times we played really well, at other times we made very key mistakes that our opponents capitalized on which is what good teams do.”

U18

Both Ohio clubs that made the long trip to Virginia, but it was a successful one. Ohio Premier Eagles defeated Richmond Strikers 3-0, and drew 2-2 with FC Virginia, while Ohio Elite Soccer Academy tied FC Virginia 2-2 and won 7-1 against the Strikers…FC Bucks also tasted success on the road, winning 2-1 against Mclean Youth Soccer and 3-0 over Bethesda SC…Michigan Hawks wrapped up a stellar 13-1-3 season with a pair of wins, 2-1 over Carmel and 3-1 over Minnesota Thunder.