The Development Academy schedule continued on the frenetic pace at which it started earlier this month, with another heaping course of elite youth soccer action over the weekend. 

Here’s a look at some of the significant results from the latest round of games:

East Conference

A new addition to the Development Academy for this year, Bethesda Olney’s talented U18 side continues to impress, winning its third straight game of the season. The latest came in a 1-0 victory against PA Classics, with Matthew Ledder providing the winner. The U16s came up short, losing 2-0, while the U14 team won 1-0.

Picking up one of the most lopsided wins on the weekend was PDA, beating New Jersey counterparts Match Fit Academy by a 9-1 score. Zach Knudson made the most significant dent on the score sheet with four goals on the day. It was a much different story in the U16 meeting, with PDA winning by a 1-0 score thanks to an Erik Swenson tally. The two U14 sides also tussled, with Match Fit Academy emerging victorious 3-0.

The Capital Area Railhawks U18 took care of intrastate rivals Carolina Rapids (previously North Meck SC), as goals from William Ramirez and Nicolas Retzlaff produced the full points for the Railhawks. U15 BNT striker Lucas Del Rosario scored a hat trick in the U16 match, leading the way for a Railhawks 5-1 win. The club formerly known as CASL made it a clean sweep on the day, as Jose Luis Morales scored twice in the U14 match in a 2-0 win over the Rapids. 

Central Conference

A second half barrage of three goals led Shattuck St. Mary’s U18 to a 4-2 win against Indiana Fire. Four different scorers – Abdulla Al-Kalisy, Ricardo Lopez-Espin, Lesley Nchanji and Akeem Ward – found the back of the net for Shattuck. The Minnesota side also won in the U16 matchup by the same score line, with two goals coming from Uyiosa Omorogbe.

Forward Andrija Novakovich continues to prove his ability as a goal scorer for Chicago Magic U18. His two tallies helped the Magic to a 3-2 win over Internationals on Saturday. The Magic also squeaked past Crew Soccer Academy 2-1 on Sunday, while the U14 squad beat the two sides 3-0 and 4-3 respectively.

The Chicago Fire also made the trip to Ohio, and the U18 side laid a five-spot on the Crew, winning 5-2 on Saturday. The U16 encounter between the two MLS club sides ended in a wild 4-4 draw, with Devyn Etling striking twice for the Crew and Rogioberto Rojas doing the same for the Fire. It was a triumph for the Fire in the U14 clash, as Nick Markanich found the back of the net twice in a 4-2 win for the Chicago side.

West Conference 

It was a busy week up in the Pacific Northwest, with several games taking place over the weekend. The Vancouver Whitecaps received a visit from Pateadores and Strikers FC. The U18s swept both of those games, defeating Pats 1-0 on a goal from Mason James, and beating Strikers 4-2. Vancouver’s U16s won 2-0 over Pats, and followed that up with a 1-1 draw.

Up in Seattle, there was a couple of MLS academy clashes as both Chivas USA and LA Galaxy visited the Emerald City. The Galaxy U18 took care of business with a 4-1 defeat of the Seattle Sounders, and the U16 matchup between the two clubs ended in a 1-1 draw. On Sunday, as the Galaxy traveled south to Portland, Chivas USA came up to Seattle. The Goats U16 beat the Sounders 3-2, on the strength of an Ivan Gutierrez hat trick, while Seattle’s U18 side won big, beating Chivas 6-0. UC Santa Barbara recruit Denis Kalamar supplied most of the offense with three goals on the day.

The Timbers, who also hosted MLS counterparts over the weekend, struggled to cobble together results at both age groups. After the U18s drew 1-1 with Chivas USA, the U16s fell 2-1 on Saturday, while LA asserted itself on Sunday, picking up wins 5-1 (U18) and 6-0 (U16).

Photo: Courtesy of Marco Quezada

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