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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – It’s all over now but the championship matches and there is a good set of them on the docket here for Wednesday at the U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Championships.

After some high drama during semifinal games Tuesday, teams will try to recover for a seemingly impossible 6th match in 6 days and a chance to advance to the Nationals next month in Kansas City.

U17 Girls Semifinal: Ponte Vedra Storm (FL) 2, Lonestar SC (STX) 1
This ended up being one of the best games of the regionals thus far,with two talented and hard-working teams giving it their all for a prized berth in the championship match. In the end, an overtime goal from Ponte Vedra’s Morgan Brian proved to be the difference.

The match was a bit cagey to start, with the teams playing their 5th game in 5 days no doubt part of the situation, but Ponte Vedra created an early chance as Allison Brashear’s strong run and pass set up Nicole White, but the shot was saved by Lonestar goalkeeper Celia Pellegrini.

Lonestar midfielder Erin Inman, a Texas Tech recruit, was a constant presence in the middle of the park with a very high work rate and some good ideas and touches to try and kickstart the Austin-area team’s attack.

For Ponte Vedra, right back Gabrielle Ragazzo put in a quality shift both in defending and working to get forward for her team, along with providing some quality serves.

The match went to the 2nd half scoreless and Brian, a U17 Women’s National Team standout who will be playing college soccer at Virginia, moved from a winger role to a more central position. Almost immediately the team won a corner and Carson Pickett’s serve found the head of Brian, but the effort went wide.

Lonestar launched an effective counterattack, with Allison Smith’s shot deflected wide for a corner. Julie Arnold’s subsequent header was well held by Ponte Vedra’s Notre Dame-bound goalkeeper Sarah Voigt. Erin Inman then hit a strong shot and Voigt made a leaping, fingertip save to keep the match scoreless. Voigt kept the ball again moments later despite Christie Hinojosa’s effort short-hopping her.

Brian then made a 50-yard surging run through the middle and played a good-looking through ball for Brashear, but Lonestar goalkeeper Pellegrini raced off her line to gather it just in time.

Lonestar’s Christie Hinojosa was proving very dangerous and active on the left wing and it was no surprise she was involved in the opening goal. She was allowed acres of space on the left to run onto a ball and, after slipping past a defender, ran into the area. Voigt had no choice but to rush out and Hinojosa timed her finish expertly, sliding it past the charging goalkeeper and inside the far post for a 1-0 Lonestar lead.

Another talented Lonestar player who was increasingly a factor in the match was the tough and skilled Bianca Brinson.

But Ponte Vedra scored the equalizing goal fairly late in the 2nd half. Katie Goodwin swung a good ball to the right for Kaili Torres, and Torres made a very nice run and cross into the middle from where the ever-active Brashear finished effectively to make it 1-1.  Late in regulation Brashear had a break in on goal but her shot didn’t trouble Pellegrini in the Lonestar goal.

In the closing seconds a long ball put Brinson in on goal but Voigt raced out to get a game-saving touch on the ball and stop what would have almost surely been the winning goal for the Texas side.

In overtime, Pickett sent a good corner over that Brian powered downward toward goal, but the ball pinged off the post. Lonestar’s Inman played a good cross on the other end, but two open players failed to reach it in front of goal. Brinson then made a good run and shot that Voigt did well to save.

In the 2nd extra session, Kaili Torres sent in an exquisite free kick from 35 yards out wide left, the ball flying in with pace and accuracy, then met by Brian’s strong run and bullet header that Pellegrini heroically got her fingertips on but couldn’t keep out of the net. Ponte Vedra led 2-1.

Brashear nearly made it 3-1 with a good volley, but Tabria Williford cleared the ball off the line for Lonestar. On the other end Hinojosa set up Arnold for a shot that went over the bar. The Texas side was pushing forward frantically, but Tyler Law led a very good Ponte Vedra effort to win balls and obstruct the attack, and the Florida team held on for the 2-1 win.

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U14 Boys Semifinal: Charlotte SA 1, FC Dallas 0
Antonio Aguilar nearly put the North Texas side up early with a good run and shot, but it went just wide. Charlotte goalkeeper Nick Gardner proved to be a key player for his side and one thing that was noticeable is how good this keeper is with the ball at this feet. His distribution is very smart and accurate.

FCD’s Tanner Gardner was a constant threat with his strong running on and off the ball, a good-looking cross from Milton Rosales just missed him in front of the Charlotte net. Gardner then had a free kick that went narrowly over.

Charlotte’s Tomas Hillard-Arce is a good tackler in the back line for his team, while FCD’s Paulo Sanchez can also put in a good challenge, as well as get forward in a more attacking role.

The match was scoreless at halftime, but Charlotte got a goal early in the 2nd half. Neta Lavi sent in a good cross of a corner and Charles Coulson rose with perfect timing to power a header into the back of the net and make the score 1-0 for the North Carolina side.

Charlotte almost doubled their advantage after Tanner Love made a good run down the right and won a corner. Lavi served another good cross and Eduardo Iturbide met it with an excellent near-post run, but the header went just over the bar. Lavi then came close with a strong run and shot, but FCD goalkeeper Mickey Raine made the save.

Dallas began serving a lot of long balls into the box, but Charlotte goalkeeper Gardner showed save hands and good command of his area to keep any of them from becoming real scoring chances. The best opportunity for Dallas to equalize came via playing the ball on the ground, as Milton Rosales gave Daniel Mendoza a good pass, but Mendoza’s hard shot was met with a better save from Gardner, and Charlotte advanced to the final.

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Other Notables

Glory Williams scored a hat trick to lift the red hot Sting SC U15 Girls to a 5-0 win over Challenge SC. Tatu’s Dallas-area team has now scored 24 goals in 5 games here.

ASA Xtreme goalkeeper Hannah Garcia made two excellent saves in post-match spot kicks to lift her team over Brentwood SC in a U16 Girls semifinal, after the teams had played to a scoreless draw in regulation and overtime.

Taylor Smith, a forward with the U17 Women’s National Team, was taken to the hospital with a neck injury during her Solar SC team’s 1-0 semifinal win over Dallas Texans. True to form, Smith scored the game-winning goal before her injury for Adrian Solca’s side. Jennifer Jasper kept a clean sheet in goal for Solar.

Day 5 Coverage | Day 4 | Day 3 | Day 2 | Day1

Championship Matches (To Be Played Wednesday)

U14 Boys: Lonestar SC (STX) vs. Charlotte SA

U14 Girls: Sting SC (NTX) vs. Lonestar SC (STX)

U15 Boys: Mexicas (STX) vs. Concorde Fire Elite (GA)

U15 Girls: Sting SC (NTX) vs. Hurricane FC (OK)

U16 Boys: RSL Florida vs. Concorde Fire Elite (GA)

U16 Girls: ASA Xtreme (GA) vs. Solar Red (NTX)

U17 Boys: Alpharetta Ambush (GA) vs. GSA Phoenix (GA)

U17 Girls: Ponte Vedra Storm (FL) vs. D’Feeters (NTX)

U18 Boys: Triangle United (NC) vs. Edmond FC (OK)

U18 Girls: Sting SC (NTX) vs. AFC Lightning (GA)

U19 Boys: Andromeda Navy (NTX) vs. 91 Black Rebels (STX)

U19 Girls: Lonestar SC (STX) vs. Dallas Texans (NTX)

Finalists by State: NTX – 7; GA – 6; STX – 5; NC – 2; OK – 2; FL - 2