After a 10-month schedule, the ECNL is knocking out its final regular season games this weekend, with the 2012 National Finals in the Chicago area only two weeks away. 

Given the scenario, much of the focus this weekend is on making the playoffs, promotion, and demotion for ECNL clubs. 

Check out some of the highlights from this weekend’s schedule:

U14

There is not much to be said about the U14 age group this weekend. The top two spots are locked up in every conference across the board and many of this weekend’s proceedings are purely academic. 

The lone Championship-bound squad, Charlotte Soccer Academy, takes on Carolina Elite Soccer Academy on Sunday. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in their earlier meeting this season. Allison Gray scored for Charlotte off an assist from Lauren Clark.  Oluwaremilekun Olalere scored for Carolina thanks to an assist from Haley Melson. 

U15

Lonestar SC’s season is teetering on the edge of a cliff. 

The Austin, Texas club is desperate to keep the postseason dream alive, but will need at least a point against the Dallas Texans on Sunday to make that happen. 

Currently, Lonestar is in the 15^th position in Flight A, which would guarantee the team a trip to Illinois for a shot at the National Championship at the end of the month. 

But Lonestar still has one game remaining on the docket, and needs to produce either a draw or a win from the fixture or else it will drop J.D. Cochran’s side to 17^th in the standings. 

On top of that, the Texans won the first meeting of the season between these two teams 1-0 via an Emily Bates goal. For Real So Cal and Mustang SC fans, they are hoping Bates adds to her 20 goals on the season and leads the Texans to a win over Lonestar. 

In Ohio, the in-state rivalry takes on new meaning this weekend when Ohio Elite Soccer Academy takes on Ohio Premier Eagles. Ohio Elite is 12^th in the Flight A standings and will be playing for the National Championship regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s game. 

Ohio Premier Eagles need a win, and only a win, to keep its slim hope of staying in the top flight alive. The Eagles are currently in the demotion zone, but a win would push the team into a tie for 25^th and a spot in the promotion playoffs. 

Albertson Fury is in a similar situation on Saturday. The New York club needs at least a point against PDA in order to stay in the top flight and avoid the playoffs. A loss to PDA would also drop Fury into a tie for the 25^th spot. 

U16

The defending ECNL National Champions, Lonestar SC, can enter the postseason as the top seed with a win on Sunday. Lonestar take on Dallas Texans, which are in purgatory – out of the postseason and clear off falling into the demotion zone (if there is a demotion, that is). 

The Austin, Texas team is riding a seven-game winning streak, which includes all shutout victories. Goalkeeper Katie Turner has kept a clean sheet in 15 of the 24 games this season for Lonestar. 

Mikaela Harvey leads the team in scoring with 15 goals and four assists in 22 games. 

In a nearly identical situation as their younger teams, PDA and Albertson Fury have a lot on the line in Saturday’s fixture. With any positive result for PDA, the New Jersey club would finish the ECNL season undefeated in both conference and Flight A play. 

Albertson Fury on the other hand needs to avoid a defeat to stay in Flight A . . . at all. With a loss, Fury would drop into an automatic demotion position. 

The two teams played to a 0-0 draw in the first meeting this season in May, which was a turning point in the season for both teams. Since then, PDA has won six of its seven games, while Fury has dropped five of its nine fixtures to fall down the Flight A Standings. 

U17

The best action in the U17 age group is in Flight B this weekend. 

Washington Premier, FC Stars of Massachusetts, and World Class FC are all fighting for one spot – the last automatic promotion spot from the lower flight. The other two teams will enter the promotion playoffs against the 25^th and 26^th place teams from Flight A. 

The three squads currently occupy the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots in the standings, respectively, and they all play this weekend. 

Washington Premier hosts De Anza Force and San Juan Soccer Club. The latter is a Flight A squad, so that game, in essence, is meaningless for Premier’s quest for promotion. 

De Anza Force is another Flight B, but it is middle of the pack and out of contention for promotion. However, the Northern California team did defeat Washington Premier in the first meeting this season 1-0. Since then, the Washington club has run off a six-game undefeated run thanks to the offensive onslaught of Kaylie Rozell-Pidge and goalkeeping prowess of Sarah Shimer. 

FC Stars of Massachusetts takes on the two Connecticut clubs, Connecticut FC and SoccerPlus Connecticut, this weekend. Both teams are in Flight B, but even with two wins, FC Stars still needs Washington Premier to slip up in its clash. 

World Class FC is even on points with FC Stars of Massachusetts and also playing two Flight B teams this weekend. The New York club will be counting on Jennifer Peters to continue her hot streak in front of the net. The striker has 16 goals in 21 games this year. 

U18

Crossfire Premier has the chance to slip into the playoffs unnoticed – at the expense of the defending National Champions. 

San Diego Surf, the 2011 ECNL U17 National Champions, is in the 16^th spot in Flight A standings without any game remaining on the schedule, but Crossfire Premier, currently 19^th in the standings, could slip into the 16^th position with a win over San Juan Soccer Club on Saturday. 

Crossfire won the first meeting between these teams 3-0 in May.