Super Y League Finals Day 5 Recap
December 15, 2015
BRADENTON- The fourth day of the Super Y League Finals at the IMG Academy, some of the country's top young talents competed in what started out as gloomy, but ended with the usual breezy Florida weather. Energy rose with the semifinals being played, as players gave everything they had. Here are some of the key matchups from the day.
MORE: Standouts: Day 4 | Day 3 | Day 2 | Day 1
Iron Bound U18 (NJ) 1-0 Barcelona USA Maryland SC U18
With the semifinals taking place, Iron Bound, whom has been an annual national contender, continued its winning ways. Manny Antunes' squad notched a crucial goal in the second half and held steady defensively in a tight 1-0 victory.
The boys from New Jersey held the lines and stayed ready on the defensive end, as Barcelona just could not get much going offensively. Iron Bound had a few scoring opportunities, but its lone goal was found in the second half when Bryan Medela scored on a header off a corner kick.
Iron Bound U18 (NJ) 1-0 Barcelona USA Maryland SC U18
With the semifinals taking place, Iron Bound, whom has been an annual national contender, continued its winning ways. Manny Antunes' squad notched a crucial goal in the second half and held steady defensively in a tight 1-0 victory.
The boys from New Jersey held the lines and stayed ready on the defensive end, as Barcelona just could not get much going offensively. Iron Bound had a few scoring opportunities, but its lone goal was found in the second half when Bryan Medela scored on a header off a corner kick.
That one score is all Iron Bound would need, with goalkeeper Tiago Capela and his defense keeping Barcelona at bay. Down the stretch, Iron Bound kept possession and never faced any real scoring threats en route to clinching the victory.
"Everytime I've told these boys when we get the lead, we need to hold the lines and play a different style of game," Antuenes said. "It's called the frustration game and not letting the other team back into the game."
DDSYC U16 3-1 DCPDA U16 (MD)
DDSYC U16 3-1 DCPDA U16 (MD)
In one of the two U16 semifinals on the day, DDSYC showed why they are one of the top teams from out of the state to travel down to Florida for the Super Y Finals tournament. DDSYC flexed its offensive muscle and scored to the tune of three goals and routed DCPDA 3-1.
Goals were aplenty in the first half for DDSYC, as they scored all three goals before reaching halftime. DDSYC was able to receive goals from Zakayre Hams (two goals) and Lagos Kuaga, who also had an assist in the contest. Israel Dominguez also added an assist to one of the goals.
With a 3-0 lead in hand, DDSYC's defense held steady in front of goalkeeper Alfonso Bautista. The only breakdown for DDSYC's defense came obviously when DCPDA got its lone goal from forward Jacob Barrette in the second half.
CYA U14 (VA) 2-1 Annandale United Majestics U14 (VA)
The two teams from Virginia came into Monday's U14 semifinal knowing each other all too well. Both teams are actually rivals from back home and it was by pure coincidence they met each other once again in Florida. Facing off against one another in various regular season and tournaments in Virginia, CYA was able to take from the previous matchups and come away with a clutch 2-1 victory against Annandale United Majestics.
Shots on goal disparity was noticeable from the outset, as Annandale was getting quality shots on goal all throughout the first half. Despite not having as many scoring opportunities, CYA made the most out of the ones they had, with Tabitha Galliahl scoring a goal unassisted on goalkeeper Bennett Gretzlen.
Annandale would certainly not go away, as the scored the equalizer just before halftime. Shelly Kehoe scored the morale-boosting goal her club needed, with the assist going to teammate Keira Shoup. The Majestics had a few more scoring chances in the second half, but could not connect.
The go-ahead goal would come from Riley Specht with just about 10 minutes left in the contest, and Mellin Gregg had the assist on the game winner.
"It was such a coincidence," CYA coach Hugo Phan said of his squad playing Annandale, a rival from back in Virginia. "We play them all the time in tournaments and regional games."
Chill SPC U16 (MI) 0-0 Washington Spirit MD Red U16
Not every team played in a meaningful game on Monday, as some clubs returned to the pitch just to play for the love of the game. That's what happened between Chill SPC and Washington Spirit MD Red, as both clubs were eliminated from bracket play and were regulated to consolation matches. In the friendly, neither team was able to figure the opposing one out and had to settle for a 0-0 tie.
Very few scoring opportunities presented themselves throughout the course of the contest, with both clubs combining for under 10 shots on goal. Likely one of the most serious scoring threats came when Washington's Catherine Hoffman on a set piece in the first half and rocketed a accurate shot right at goalkeeper Veronica Gaweck, who made the save.
Outside of that, neither team really ran into much trouble defensively and for the most part kept the opposing team from coming close to its respective penalty boxes. Keepers Gaweck and Washington's Kaylie Ward combined to make five saves on the day.
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