BRADENTON, Fla. — Day two of the IMG Cup Girls invitational kicked off on Saturday, and this time a score-fest headlined Saturday’s slate of matches.
MORE COVERAGE: Day 1 Recap | Day 1 Top Players
Here are some of the recaps from Saturday’s games:
USL Atherley thrash Tampa Chargers
After rallying back on Friday to claim victory over the home team, USL ODP Atherley showed why they’re the dominant side in the IMG Cup Invitational.
Forward Isabella Abrams scored four goals, while midfielder Nicole Geraghty scored three as USL Atherley U16 mauled the Tampa Chargers 8-0.
While three goals were scored in the first half, five came in the second-half which displayed a more aggressive Atherley side and a depleted Chargers team.
Both Abrams and Geraghty were each assisted by midfielder Shannon Keefe throughout the match, including three consecutive goals, which saw Geraghty score twice in seven minutes.
Keefe’s woman of the match performance was only stapled after she got on the scoresheet in the 70th minute after she beat a Charger defender with only the goalkeeper to beat.
IMG U15 top Celtic, get back to winning ways
Despite a tie on the first day of the tournament, the IMG U15 Select girls defeated Celtic, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s been a rough week, but everybody played well. It’s been a good tournament and today we pulled off a great result,” IMG head coach Steven Carrera told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “First half we controlled the ball, and in the second half we definitely put it in their half and stayed there for much of that match.”
Forward Victoria Costa opened up the scoreboard after she executed on a rebound that was deflected from the goalkeeper in the 20th minute. IMG could of doubled the lead in the 70th minute, when midfielder Mara Rodriquez stepped up to take a penalty kick after a handball was whistled inside the Celtic box.
Rodriquez, however, shot the ball too wide, hitting the left post as the play continued for the defensive side.
Forward Abigail Skatell scored the insurance goal in the 85th minute after a failed clearance resulted into the forward finding an open pocket for the 2-0 lead.
Here are some of the top performers:
Goalkeeper - Elisa Lapadula - USL ODP Atherley U16
Despite her team recording an 8-0 victory, much of her work was done in the first half which saw the goalkeeper make various crucial saves to keep her clean sheet well alive.
