BEAVERCREEK, OHIO – The tradition at Chicago-area club Eclipse Select continues, as a pair of teams that have won U.S. Youth Soccer national titles in the past, including the defending national champion U18 side coached by Rory Dames, earned regional crowns here Wednesday.

Heather Marik and Carly Smith scored for the U19 side, coached by Mike Nesci, as they defeated Ohio Elite 2-0 in the final.

In the U18 Girls final, opponents FC Milwaukee made life difficult for the Eclipse team. In the opening minutes both Kate Riegle and Cara Jacobson had good chances from close range but a wayward shot and a frantic block by Alexandra Heller from close range kept the ball out of the Eclipse net.

Eclipse goalkeeper Erin Dees then made a good save from Katerina Konstantinoff as Milwaukee,despite typically attacking with only 1 or 2 players, tested the Chicago-area side’s defense.

Eclipse began to get more possession and then had to exhibit patience to create any real chances. One came when attacking left back Kecia Morway sent a cross over for Maggie Murnane, whose volley was kept out of the net by a point blank reflex save from FC Milwaukee’s Olivia  Hoff.

Eclipse’s other good 1st half chance came via a weaving run from the Notre Dame-bound Morway, who cracked a shot off the crossbar.

The match looked quite different from the onset of the 2nd half, as Eclipse attacked in numbers and began creating chances. Hoff made a few good saves but it seemed apparent the ball was going to find its way in. It was Murnane, who will be playing her college soccer just down the road in Dayton, who opened the scoring with a downward header from a cross by Katie Uyenishi.

Just a few minutes later, Vanessa Laxgang’s teasing cross set off a mad scramble in front of the Milwaukee net. While Hoff made at least one close range save during the melee, Uyenishi eventually managed to knock the ball into the net for a 2-0 Eclipse lead.

Milwaukee, playing with just a couple of subs for the duration of the event, looked deflated by the 2nd goal. Eclipse kept a stranglehold on the rest of the game, largely through the dominant midfield play of Sami Scofield, Vanessa Laxgang and Kelsey Hough. While they couldn’t create another goal they weren’t really threatened from that point on and walked off the field as Region II champions for the third consecutive year.

“In all honesty we were very fortunate not to be down at halftime,” Dames said afterward. “They broke us down 2 or 3 times. Give FC Milwaukee’s coaches credit because they came out with tactics that asked some questions of us in the 1st half that we didn’t solve, and we didn’t put a lot of effort into solving them, quite honestly. In the 2nd half we got after them and were much more organized.”

Team captain Katie Uyenishi said a tactical change helped the team in the 2nd half, but the main difference was between the team members’ ears.

“We were all hyped up in the beginning and I don’t know what happened to us. They posed a problem to us and we usually respond better, but we were kind of uninterested in the 1st half,” Uyenishi said. “We went unbalanced (in the 2nd half) to send our outside player to go forward. I think it was not so much about the system but the mentality. Our overall work rate was so much better in the 2nd half.”

Uyenishi, who is on her way to play college soccer at Clemson after nationals, said her team has remained highly motivated, something sometimes difficult for U18 teams (due to players having their college choices made and other non-soccer distractions).

“It’s different for us. We’ve come together so tight as a group and a cohesive unit to play together and even as best friends,” Uyenishi said. “We had something to defend and so we defended it. Whoever came into our path we were going to deal with.”

While so many matches being played at the same time made it hard to watch more than one, special props go out to Michigan Hawks U17 goalkeeper Gabrielle Gauruder, who made a couple of big-time saves in overtime as her team became one of three from her club on the day to win a title. Alex Heffron had scored in overtime to put Hawks up 2-1 over Ohio Premier, but with the Ohio side pressing for an equalizer, Gauruder came up big twice.

The U.S. Youth Soccer Nationals will be in Kansas City July 20-25.

Other match details from Region II Championship finals on Wednesday (courtesy US Youth Soccer)

Under-13 Girls
JB Marine Wipke (MO) 0, Michigan Hawks 97 (MI) 2
MIHA - Claire Allen (3:00) | MIHA - Claire Allen (31:00)                                                                    

Under-14 Girls                                                                  
Michigan Hawks Black (MI) 1, Sockers FC Chicago (IL) 0
MIHB - Kendall Juhnke (66:00)

Under-15 Girls                                                                  
JB Marine Wipke (MO) 4, Blast FC (OH-S) 1
BLFC - Donavan Capehart (46:00) | JBMW - Jade Klump (23:00) | JBMW - Hannah Leinert (43:00) | JBMW - Haley Kavanaugh (35:00) | JBMW - Adalie Schmidt (58:00)                                                                                

Under-16 Girls                                                                  
NSA Premier Fury (IL) 3, MN Thunder Academy 94 Blue (MN) 0
NSA  - Corinne Harris (18:00) | NSA  - Floriana (Flo) Beshiri (42:00) | NSA  - Alexandra (Lexi) Peterson (46:00)                                                                        

Under-17 Girls                                                                  
Michigan Hawks 93 (MI) 2, Ohio Premier Eagles ECNL (OH-S) 1
HAWK - Lisa Vogel (82:00) | HAWK - Alexandra Heffron (99:00) | OPEE - Michela  Paradiso (72:00)

Under-18 Girls                                                                  
Eclipse Select 91/92 (IL) 2, FC Milwaukee Blue (WI) 0
ECLS – Maggie Murnane (54:00) | ECLS – Katie Uyenishi (57:00)

Under-19 Girls                                                                  
Eclipse Select (IL) 2, Ohio Elite Soccer Academy (OH-S) 0
ECL - Carly Smith (75:00)

Under-13 Boys                                                                  
Lexington FC 97 Premier (KY) 0, Sockers FC (IL) 6
SKRS - Johnny McArtor (10:00) | SKRS - Liam Kelleher (33:00) | SKRS - Erik Stammer (31:00) | SKRS - Jelani Pieters (40:00) | SKRS - Agostino Lappo (50:00) | SKRS - Erik Stammer (65:00)

Under-14 Boys
CUSC Elite 96 Sochacki (IN) 0, Eclipse Select (IL) 5
ECLP - Michael Catalano (1:00) | ECLP - Michael Catalano (38:00) | ECLP - Brian Werchek (45:00) | ECLP - LLoyd Chatfield (67:00) | ECLP - Luca Giovine (69:00)

Under-15 Boys                                                                  
Vardar (MI) 2, Carmel United Elite 95 (IN) 0
VARD - Will Clark (2:00) | VARD - Will Clark (12:00)

Under-16 Boys                                                                  
Grand Rapids Crew Juniors (MI) 1, Waza FC 94 Black (MI) 0
GRCJ - Greg Timmer (19:00)

Under-17 Boys                                                                  
WSO United Thunder (KS) 2, St Louis Scott Gallagher Premier (MO) 3
SLSG - Eric Heet (7:00) | SLSG - Carson Pryor (32:00) | SLSG - Eric Heet (48:00) | WSO - Spencer Crouch (2:00) | WSO - Spencer Crouch (45:00)

Under-18 Boys
Javanon 92 (KY) 2, Shattuck-St. Mary's (MN) 4
JAV - Will Vitalis (68:00) | SSM - Edison Crespo Perez (60:00) | SSM - Gideon Asante (79:00) | SSM - Patrick Donyen (81:00)

Under-19 Boys                                                                  
Kansas City Wizards (KS) 3, Crew Juniors (OH-S) 4
CJ - Eric Erb (19:00) | CJ - Joseph Haught (70:00) | CJ - John Wargo (95:00) | CJ - Ryan Lee (107:00) | WIZ - Alex Sweetin (81:00) | WIZ - Alex Sweetin (90:00) | WIZ - Nicholas Aguilar (110:00)