U.S. Club Soccer id2 Arizona: Day 3 Recaps

by Ralph Amsden

December 15, 2014

The girls took center stage on Saturday at the id2 training camp in Casa Grande, AZ. Check out our recaps from the day.

Green vs. Yellow, Game 1

Green Team- Destinee Manzo, Lauren Robles, Maya Doms, Ava McCray, Diana Morales, Chloe Ragon, Kailey Smith, Taylor Gosselin, Karina Legaspi, Nehomi Mendoza, Jamie Goralski, Isabella Cook

Yellow Team- Malia Faramarzi, Brianna Van Giesen, Ingrid Falls, Emily Moxley, Sarai Zedingil, Annabella Folino, Kala McDaniel, Alexandra Palangi, Madison Mercado, Sunshine Fontes, Raegan Kelley

After a brief mid-afternoon rain, the girls mixed their original rosters to play on a damp field in chilly temperatures, with a consistent 20 mile per hour wind blowing from sideline to sideline.

Game 1 was a completely dominant performance by Yellow, but repeated unforced errors led to final score that didn’t reflect the high level the Yellow team played at from start to finish.

The strong wind had an affect on any attempts to accurately pass the ball beyond 15-20 yards, so both teams took some time to feel each other out before mounting an attack. Attempting to compensate for the conditions led to Annabella Folino and Madison Mercado missing several open shots on goal by kicking them over the crossbar in the first half.

Despite the wind, Green midfielder Destinee Manzo showed a strong leg, and was integral in helping shut out Yellow in the first half by repeatedly cutting off passing lanes and clearing the ball. Despite outshooting Green 7-1 in the first half, Yellow went into the break tied 0-0.

The second half saw Yellow turn up the offensive pressure on Green, with constant ball movement and shots on goal by Folino, Emily Moxley, and Sarai Zendigil- but something went wrong on nearly every offensive set to keep them from capitalizing. With time running out, Yellow had their best attempts of the afternoon all come up short. First Madison Mercado took a pass from Raegan Kelley, split three defenders, but took too long to get a shot off and had the ball poked away. Next Sunshine Fontes hit Kelley on a perfect cross, but Kelley took her eyes off the ball on the shot attempt and kicked only air. Last, Kala McDaniel, Mercado and Fontes all missed shots on their final possession. The game would end in a scoreless tie, despite Yellow outshooting Green 21-3.

Green vs Yellow, Game 2

Green Team- Loren Sefcik, Kylie Minamishin, Sakura Yoshida, Ainsley Ahmadian, Madelyn Desiano, Kennedy Wesley, Sierra Castles, Kendall Bates, Amanda Rapaduski, Kalyssa Van Zanten, Christin Baumbick

Yellow Team- Sara Bermudez, Kaya Frazier, Caroline Conti, Maycee Bell, Celiana Torres, Aurora Yarnell, Mia Fishel, Coriana Dyke, Talia Staude, Jamie Goralski, Hannah Bebar, Tera Ziemer

The wind had calmed down before Game 2 started, but the sun had also set, and temperatures for this mixed-squad game were in the mid-50’s. It looked as if the teams were still trying to get familiar with playing together, as the ball was volleyed near midfield until the 13^th minute, when Sakura Yoshida was finally able to get a shot off for Green, lifting the ball right to the keeper. Minutes later, Yellow finally managed to get a shot off as Sara Bermudez, who was locked in a physical battle with Amanda Rapaduski the entire half, got a clear shot that missed wide left.

Green dominated possession in the first half, due in part to defender Kennedy Wesley playing up near midfield and refusing to let the ball get behind her. She even advanced the ball and took a shot of her own just before the half, while she missed, it was one of the last good looks Green would have in the game.

The second half had a drastically different pace, as Yellow’s Jamie Goralski seemed to play inspired out on the left wing. Goralski outsprinted Kylie Minamishin for a ball that was cleared by a Yellow midfielder, and managed to maintain control of her dribble at full speed, and crossed the ball to Hannah Bebar for the team’s first score. Later in the half, Goralski found Bebar in front of the net a second time, and this time, Bebar lifted the ball to Mia Fishel, who headed it in for the goal.

While clinging to a 2-0 lead, and outshooting Green 8-4 in the second half, Yellow’s Kaya Frazier managed to take the ball on a breakaway and score over the keeper’s head to close out the game 3-0.

Related Topics: US Club Soccer