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TopHat Gold defeated Lou Fusz 3-2 to lift the U13 Girls Academy championship in a battle of the two top-ranked teams going into the playoffs. It was a fitting result for a physical back-and-forth matchup where both squads fought tooth and nail for a chance at glory.

The opening slate of the match was all Lou Fusz as the Frontier conference champions dominated their 50-50 battles, culminating in a shot off the crossbar eight minutes in. Charli Bartley proved difficult to stop, repeatedly gliding past the TopHat midfield.

That all changed when TopHat winger Savannah Moss won possession at midfield, then fed striker Ariana Rosario, who did the rest with a fantastic solo effort resulting in a shot ripping the back of the net. The goal was against the flow of play, but TopHat would have no complaints.

The following 20 minutes were all Lou Fusz, especially Ava Carter, whose vision, passing, and ball-carrying from midfield would have led to a goal or two if not for the TopHat center-back duo of Brynn Buchanan and Precious Omelogu repelling shot after shot with impressive physicality and anticipation.

With a few minutes before half, Carter would break through on a solo run from midfield, beating three defenders and forcing Buchanan to concede a corner. The ensuing set piece saw Jordan Duffing connect on a sweet volley to draw the game at 1-1.

That scoreline was short-lived as TopHat would strike early in the second half on an Ava Slater tap-in after Lou Fusz failed to react quickly to a short corner. It was a devastating example of the high levels of concentration needed to win against the best.

Lou Fusz would have a few attempts to equalize, particularly from Elin Austin, who struck the crossbar on a free kick and delivered a perfect cross on another that was missed in front of goal. Omelogu and Buchanan continued to hold down the TopHat fort while Moss and Rosario provided the occasional relief with impressive displays of 1-v-1 dribbling.

Fittingly, the game-clinching goal would come from the duo that started the game. With Lou Fusz leaving few numbers defensively in chase of a late equalizer, Rosario delivered a brilliant chipped through ball to Cadence Mills, who squared across the goalkeeper for Moss to convert into the empty net and give TopHat a 3-1 lead with a minute remaining.

Kenzie Nordike would score a scorcher from long range soon after the restart, but it was nothing more than a consolation as the final whistle blew and the TopHat Gold sideline erupted.

Lou Fusz finishes the season with just 23 wins and two losses, while TopHat, 25-1-0, completes the perfect redemption story after suffering a loss in the Champions Cup semi-final.

Final MVP: Ariana Rosario