Read our Day One article HERE.

WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS - A heroic goalkeeping performance and a team that likes to attack first and ask questions later were among the highlights from day two of the ECNL National Championships HERE.

With U14 and U15 teams in action through Wednesday (and the older age groups beginning that same day), players enjoyed a cool day thanks to a breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan. Much hotter temperatures are forecast for the rest of the week. The championship flight is played in a straight knockout round format and Monday featured quarterfinal matches.

 

Carter goalkeeping heroics help Arsenal hang on in U14 win over Eclipse Select

As she stated in the above video, Arsenal U14 goalkeeper Katelyn Carter thrives on moments of craziness during games. Carter was under siege in the goal for most of the 2^nd half and some of the 1^stduring her team’s 2-1 quarterfinal win over Eclipse Select.

Arsenal had gone up 2-0 in the first half with an impressive combination of skill and power.  Aleksa Marr is a tremendously skilled player with good technical speed. Leah Pruitt and Nicole Leggio were gaining Noah Kooiman’s Southern Californians much of the possession and also putting the ball in dangerous places. Leggio did this in creating the first goal, sending a driven ball into the area from where Julia Bingham finished to make it 1-0. The 2^ndgoal came from pressure, but was a bit of a fluke as Carly Gamble’s 40-yard lob got caught in the crosswind and managed to sneak across the goal-line for a 2-0 lead.

Eclipse cut the lead to 2-1 on an own goal created by forward Alissa Gorzak who had made a slashing run followed by a cross into the area. Kooiman said his team began to pull back a little bit at this point and even allowed that Eclipse would have deserved to tie the match and send it into overtime, given the desire and ability the Chicago-area side showed.

But then there was that girl Carter, who made several good saves on key scoring chances, perhaps most significantly in the closing minutes when Eclipse forward Alissa Gorzak made a 50-yard run through the entire Arsenal defense and was robbed from close range by Carter when it looked like the tying goal would surely come.

Gorzak was also impressive on the day, the Eclipse forward showing a special ability to run with the ball and change speed and direction with effect.

Other standouts for this match included Arsenal defenders Carly Gamble and Danika Bowman, hard-working and skilled Ayana Robles, and Eclipse players Mikaela Niermann and Ena Sabanagic, who was denied by the post on one first-half scoring chance.

U14 Championship Semifinal Pairings (Tuesday)

San Diego Surf vs Mustang SC

Arsenal FC vs. PDA

 

Crossfire uses strong attack to take U15 3-1 quarterfinal win over TSC Hurricane

Crossfire coach Justi Baumgardt agreed with us that her team likes to go at the defense.

She talks about it in this video.

Crossfire’s attacking intent was visible through most of the match, but the game might have been much different if TSC’s Marlo Zoller hadn’t had her shot cleared off the line by defender Jaimee Farrell. Zoller then set up Kaylee Dao for a shot that Crossfire goalkeeper Erin Swain made a sprawling save to keep out.

Crossfire left winger Emily Johnson didn’t end up figuring in any of the goals her team scored, but her powerful running down the left wing and fierce approach to winning possession for her side will make her a very attractive recruiting prospect for college coaches. Forward Karli White also showed a real ability to run at defenders, with good close control and technical speed exhibited in her dribbles.

The opening Crossfire goal however came on a long-range shot, as Isabelle Marquez thumped home a drive from at least 25 yards out to make it 1-0 for the team from Washington state.

TSC Hurricane’s Mallory Tucker is a good ball-winner in midfield, while Taylor Sekyra showed speed, good tackling technique and tenacity to close down attackers from her central defensive position.

In the 2^nd half, Farrell played a good pass down the right wing for Marquez, who then delivered a perfect cross to find forward Rylee Peterson in front of goal. Peterson’s shot was bravely saved at close range by TSC goalkeeper Regan Hall, but the attacker got her own rebound and rolled it over the line to make the score 2-0 for Crossfire.

The final Crossfire goal came when White made a powerful run down the left, turned the corner and started advancing in on goal, then banked a centering pass (or was it?) off the defender and into the goal to make it 3-0. The talented Zoller pulled back a consolation goal for the Oklahoma side, but it was Crossfire booking its place in the semifinals.

 

U15 Championship Semifinal Pairings (Tuesday)

Colorado Rush vs. PDA

Crossfire Premier vs. Dallas Sting

 

Full Results from Monday (courtesy ECNL)

U14 A Flight Championship Bracket

Quarterfinal

Arsenal FC 2, Eclipse Select 1

Mustang 2, Crossfire Premier 0

San Diego Surf 2, Dallas Sting 1

PDA 2, Ohio Premier Eagles 0

Consolation

FC Virginia 2, KCFC 1

Charlotte SA 4, Atlanta Fire 3

Real Colorado 3, FC Stars of Massachusetts 2

Fc Dallas 3, Colorado Storm 0

 

U14 Challenge Matches

Slammers FC 2, Michigan Hawks 0

Concorde Fire 1, San Juan SC 0

Real So Cal 2, Carmel United 1

World Class FC 3, Ohio Elite SA 1

Freestate SA 2, Utah Avalanche 1

D’Feeters 3, Vardar 1

Penn Fusion 4, Colorado Rush 0

Challenge SC 2, McLean Youth Soccer 0

FC Bucks 3, Sereno SC 3

FC DELCO 2, Las Vegas Premier 1

Connecticut FC 1, Lonestar SC 1

Pleasanton Rage 2, Gwinnett SA 1

Minnesota Thunder 1, TSC Hurricane 1

Scorpions 3, Virginia Rush 0

De Anza Force 9, Birmingham United 0

West Coast FC 1, St. Louis Scott Gallagher 0

Heat FC 2, CASL 1

Washington Premier 3, Carolina Elite SA 1

Solar-Chelsea 4, Albertson Fury 0

Irvine Strikers 3, Richmond Strikers 0

BVSC 7, Bethesda SC 1

Eagles SC 2, SC Del Sol 1

So Cal Blues 2, FC Milwaukee 0

Sockers FC 1, SoccerPlus Connecticut 1

Dallas Texans 1, East Meadow 0

 

U15 A Flight Championship Bracket

Quarterfinal

Colorado Rush 2, Eclipse Select 1

PDA 2, Dallas Texans 0

Crossfire Premier 3, TSC Hurricane 1

Dallas Sting 2, Gwinnett SA 0

Consolation

Real So Cal 1, San Diego Surf 0

Ohio Elite SA 2, Mustang 1

So Cal Blues 1, West Coast FC 0

Michigan Hawks 1, FC Stars of Massachusetts 0

 

U15 B Flight Top 8 Bracket

Semifinal

Washington Premier 4, Vardar 1

Minnesota Thunder 1, Sereno 1

Consolation

Penn Fusion 5, FC Dallas 0

McLean 5, Freestate SA 1

 

U15 B Flight 9-16 Placement Bracket

Connecticut FC 2, St. Louis Scott Gallagher 1

Concorde Fire 1, World Class FC 1

Solar Chelsea 2, Atlanta Fire 1

San Juan SC , Heat FC

 

U15 Challenge Matches

East Meadow 3, BVSC 2

Las Vegas Premier 2, Birmingham United 1

Scorpions SC 3, Virginia Rush 1

Colorado Storm 3, Sockers FC 1

FC Bucks 3, Irvine Strikers 0

FC DELCO 3, SC Del Sol 0

Eagles SC 5, Richmond Strikers 0

SoccerPlus Connecticut 3, FC Milwaukee 1

D’Feeters 1, Carmel United 0

Ohio Premier Eagles 1, Slammers 0

Lonestar 2, CASL 1

Carolina Elite SA 1, Pleasanton Rage 1

Utah Avalanche 6, De Anza Force 0

Albertson Fury 1, Challenge SC 1

Real Colorado 7, Arsenal FC 0

FC Virginia 1, Charlotte SA 0

KCFC 4, Bethesda SC 3