BRADENTON, Florida — The third day of the IMG Cup College Showcase at the IMG Academy started off with sunny skies, cool weather, capping off a solid three days of games. Here are some of the key matchups from the final day of the tournament. 

 

 

 

The U15 teams that competed in the IMG Cup College Showcase were on their final legs in the last day of competition and it looked like the players had some tired legs at some stretches of games. Pinecrest Premier and Chesterfield United were no exceptions to the rule.

 

Pinecrest wanted to take control early and they were able to do just that, as center-forward Victoria Munoz scored the game's first goal past Chesterfield goalie Aliyah Hunter in the 11th minute of play. Chesterfield answered Pinecrest's goal with one of their own, with center midfielder Brooke Burzynski was able to score the equalizing goal a little before intermission.

 

Munoz wasn't satisfied with scoring just one goal and added a second in the latter half to give her team a 2-1 lead. That's all Pinecrest's defense needed. with goalkeeper Samantha Ashbel kept Chesterfield scoreless in the second half.

 

"You know it was our fourth game in five days and it showed," Pinecrest Premier coach Vernon Croft said. "LEgs were heavy and we weren't doing the little things well. But we did get the result we wanted and we're pleased with that."

 

In another U15 matchup on the day, Virginia Legacy was spending its last day in Bradenton hoping to cap a strong schedule of games played with a victory against a Tampa Bay area club. Virginia was able to accomplish that, relying on a stiff defense and timely first half goals, en route to a 2-0 win vs. C1 Tampa Bay United Elite Girls 00.

 

Defense has been a strong suit for Virginia Legacy all throughout the tournament and that trend continued against C1 Tampa Bay United. Kelvin Jones' team posted a shutout and much of that can be attributed to the play of goalkeeper Abbey Hayes and defender Abby Hecklar, who provided solid defense on the back end.

 

Legacy would need some scoring paired with its stellar defense to pickup another victory and that offense would come from midfielder/forward combo of Brianna Behn and Alexis Fabila, whom both scored goals in the first half.

 

"A lot of the way we play defensively is dictated by the way we play offensively," Jones said. "The longer we have possession of the ball, the less we have to play defense. Even when we lose the ball, the girls do a great job of getting back on defense."

 

As there is in every tournament, some games end up being a bit one-sided and at times, Sunday's contest between Team Boca and Orlando City 97/98B Purple seemed like it might get out of hand because of the shots on goal opportunities were heavy for one club. That squad would be Team Boca, with the team taking 18 shots on goal compared to OCYS' mere five.

 

The scoring got going within the first 20 minutes of the match, as all-everything Gabe Gil notched his first goal of the game to give Team Boca a 1-0 lead. Team Boca went into halftime with a 1-0 lead and not too long into the second half, Gil struck again and scored his second goal.

 

Sporting a 2-0 lead, Team Boca's defense dialed back and played a little looser, allowing OCYS to take advantage. Around the 65th minute, Orlando City's Eduardo Perez scored a goal past Team Boca goalkeeper Danny Ragoo (three saves) to cut the deficit down to 2-1. Orlando City was too little, too late and could not complete the comeback trail.

 

"We enjoyed coming to this tournament," Team Boca coach Keith Fries said. "The wind created a whole different element for both teams here today. We had a great, fantastic start but then we had to grind one out. We had a lot of momentum early on and just had a hard time putting them away."

 

Some stars truly showcased their skills to college recruiters and one player made quite a name for himself during the IMG College Showcase tournament: PDA Florida Boys Blue's Nate Hubbs. The 6-foot-3 16-year old showed his ability to attack and Sunday's performance was a perfect example of the promise Hubbs has at the next level.

 

Orlando City Youth Soccer 99/00B White II team took the lead in the opening several minutes, with forward George Karamanis scoring his team's lone goal of the game. Hubbs got to work not too long afterwards, as the center-back knocked home the equalizing goal to send both teams into halftime knotted up at 1-all.

 

PDA Florida Boys Blue's Kennan Crames got into the action and scored a nifty goal to give his squad a 2-1 lead it wouldn't relinquish.

 

"(Kennan Crames) has got a big engine and just doesn't stop running," PDA Florida Boys Blue coach Mike Cole said.

 

Later on, Hubbs tagged on another goal late in the game and solidified the victory for PDA Florida. Hubbs' size proved to be a tough matchup for most of Orlando City's defenders most of the afternoon.

 

"(Nate Hubbs) a good kid in the classroom," Cole added. "He's a real difference maker on the field."