HS: NEPS, NTXES, Tampa Day 2 results

by Sheldon Shealer

January 5, 2018

The North Texas Elite Showcase for boys invited out-of-state teams this year and now this former regional event could play a major role in the FAB 50 national title chase. At The National Elite Prep Showcase for girls, California teams proved its strength with an undefeated day. In Florida, the renewed Tampa Bay Invitational sees a pair of Jesuit schools advancing to the final.

Each day, we offer a daily roundup of the three high school tournaments that have national ranking consequences.

NORTH TEXAS ELITE SHOWCASE

FAB 50 No. 1 Sam Houston (Texas) and FAB 50 No. 3 Brophy Prep (Ariz.) were supposed to meet in the first round of the North Texas Elite Showcase. After a reshuffling of pairings due to the team's national standing, both proved their worth by advancing to Saturday's final.

Led by sophomore sensation Jose Ortiz, Sam Houston rallied for a 2-1 win over Marcus. Brophy Prep survived its second penalty kick match at the event, edging Coppell to advance to Saturday's final. Jair Garcia came off the bench to make two saves in the shootout, in addition to scoring on his attempt, as Brophy won.

Saturday's championship match will start at 5 p.m. local time, 6 p.m. EST and 3 p.m. PST. The match will be live-streamed and available on TopDrawerSoccer.com.

DAY 2 RESULTS

Semifinals

FAB 50 No. 1 Sam Houston (Texas) 2, FAB 50 No. 16 Marcus (Texas) 1 -- SH: Jose Ortiz (2). M: Harvey Castro.

FAB 50 No. 3 Brophy Prep (Ariz.) 1, FAB 50 No. 17 Coppell (Texas) 0 (PKs).

Consolation

FAB 50 No. 41 San Clemente (Calif.) 2, Lake Travis 1 -- SC Tristan Weber, Blake Bowen. LT: Joey Arney.

FAB 50 No. 12 Juarez-Lincoln (Texas) 3, FAB 50 No. 23 Grand Prairie (Texas) 2 -- J-L: n/a. GP: Jose Carranza (2)

DAY 3 MATCHES

Seventh Place: FAB 50 No. 23 Grand Prairie (Texas) vs. Lake Travis (Texas)

Fifth Place: FAB 50 No. 12 Juarez-Lincoln (Texas) vs. FAB 50 No. 41 San Clemente (Calif.)

Third Place: FAB 50 No. 16 Marcus (Texas) vs. FAB 50 No. 17 Coppell (Texas)

Championship: FAB 50 No. 1 Sam Houston (Texas) vs. FAB 50 No. 3 Brophy Prep (Ariz.)

NATIONAL ELITE PREP SHOWCASE

Score one for California.

The three California teams at NEPS this year combined for a 5-0-1 day at NEPS on Friday. In the day's marquee match, FAB 50 No. 44 Carondelet (Calif.) blanked No. 5 Marcus (Texas) 2-0. Ellie Ospeck and Cassidy Tshimbalanga scored for Carondelet as Rory Biles assisted both goals.

Among the week's unranked FAB 50 teams, Flower Mound (Texas) is making the strongest showing, plowing St. Agnes 6-0. Elena Reyna had two goals and two assists and Samantha Hanking had two goals and one assist.

DAY 2 RESULTS (Note: players in parentheses assisted the goal)

FAB 50 No. 6 Keller (Texas) 2, Fort Bend Clements (Texas) 1 -- K (1-1-1): Sarah Gunderson (Kelsey White), Gunderson (Lucy Meadows). FBC (0-2-0): n/a.

FAB 50 No. 10 Ursuline Academy (Texas) 5, Odessa (Texas) 1 -- UA (10-1-0): Adrienne Bland (Emily Mount), Bland (Lyndsey Hover), Juliet Moore (Hover), Hover, Shannon Reilly (Jayden Gill), Hover, Mount. O (1-1-0): Miranda Cardona (Ashley Venegas).

FAB 50 No. 11 Southlake Carroll (Texas) 4, Westlake (Texas) 1 -- SLC (2-0-0): Drenowatz (Tufts), Phelps (Tufts), Fields (Drenowatz), Fields (Drenowatz). W (0-2-0): Addison Hackney.

FAB 50 No. 15 Coppell (Texas) 4, Belton (Texas) 1 -- C (2-0-0): Rebecca Watley (Nicole Henry), Henry (Watley), Allison Scrivner (Watley), Jocelyn Alonzo (Addison Martin). B (0-1-1): Tiarra Hodges.

FAB 50 No. 44 Carondelet (Calif.) 2, FAB 50 No. 5 Marcus (Texas) 0 -- C (7-2-2): Ellie Ospeck (Rory Biles), Cassidy Tshimbalanga (Biles). M (1-1-0).

FAB 50 No. 44 Carondelet (Calif.) 7, Naaman Forest (Texas) 0 -- C (8-2-2): Cassidy Tshimbalanga (Rory Biles), Keeley Murphy (Angelica Scoma), Kiera Mullin (Keeley Murphy), Tshimbalanga (Murphy), Scoma (Elizabeth Ospeck), Stephanie Neys (Bri Murray), Darlin Hayworth (Grace Watson). NF (1-2-0).

[Liberty ca-w] (Calif.) 4, Monterey (Texas) (0-1-1) 0 -- L (5-3-0): Gutierrez (Cline), Boone (Schaffer), Scheiber M., Scheiber M. M: (0-1-1).

Arlington Martin (Texas) 2, Amarillo (Texas) 0 -- AM (2-0-0): n/a. A (0-2-0).

Flower Mound (Texas) 6, St. Agnes (Texas) 0 -- FM (2-0-0): Elena Reyna (Samantha Hanking), Reyna (Caitlin Jenkins), Hanking (Reyna), Hanking, Abigail Guerrero (Reyna), Maya Schoeder (Kendall James). SA (5-3-1).

San Angelo Central (Texas) 3, Bishop Lynch (Texas) 0 -- SAC (2-0): Addison Bonaventure (Averi Handy), Tegan Wilson (Handy), Handy (Lesli Nuno). BL (9-3-1).

Nolan Catholic (Texas) 2, Buchholz (Fla.) 2 -- NC (9-4-2): Mikaela Gamboa (Megan Bettinger), Abby Geiser (Bettinger). B (9-4-1): MacLaine Thornquist (Nat Johnson), Jordyn Messick.

Naaman Forest (Texas) 3, Antonian (Texas) 1 -- NF (1-1-0): n/a. A (11-2-0): Erika Malagamba (Kiki Salsedo).

Steele Canyon (Calif.) 3, Grapevine (Texas) 0 -- SC (4-3-3): Savannah Thompson (Ashley Herndon), Jori Hays (Elle Cotter), Olivia Zeldin (Sealan Crotty). G (1-1-0).

Hockaday School (Texas) 2, Odessa (Texas) 1 -- HS (5-2-0): Carolina Stewart, Graden Paul (Alexander Sachs). O (1-2-0): Ashley Venegas (Jamie Natividad).

Byron Nelson (Texas) 5, Vandegrift (Texas) 2 -- BN: Turlngton (Tierney), Dahlin (Borer), Borer (Bylotas), Turlington (UA), Dahlin (Turlington). V (1-1-0): Macy Burch (Sabina Federlind), Lexi Spinetta (Olivia Elwood).

TCA (Texas) 3, Monterey (Texas) 3 -- TCA (10-5-0): McKenzie Moore (Arden Kadane), Moore (Summer Chaffin), Chaffin (Kate Blocker). M (0-2-1): Isabella Martinez (Karen Eliserio), Jenna Townsley (Amberly Prince), Breeana Gamueda (Mia Dimas).

Plano West (Texas) 2, [Liberty ca-w] (Calif.) 2 -- PW (0-0-2). Ella McQuaid, Laralei Priebe (Nicole Pak). L (5-3-1): Boone (Zentner), Carlton (Cline).

Steele Canyon (Calif.) 4, Buchholz (Fla.) 2 -- SC: Jalyn Lupo (Jori Hays), Lupo (Olivia Zeldin), Karlee Folkesson (Lupo), Lupo (Elle Hastings). B: Macey Martin, Rachel Abram.

Grapevine (Texas) 5, Amarillo (Texas) 0 -- G (2-1-0): Sophie Smith (Ashton Wright), Wright (Christine McCullough), Kyleigh Rhodes (Sidney McGregor), Eliza Hailey (Nikki Romero), Hailey (Romero). A (0-3-0).

TAMPA BAY INVITATIONAL

It's an all-Jesuit affair in the Tampa Bay Invitational final, scheduled for Saturday. Tampa Jesuit (Fla.) handled [Seminole (Seminole) fl-m] (Fla.) 3-1 after Strake Jesuit (Texas) needed penalty kicks to advance past J.W. Mitchell (Fla.), setting up the Tampa Jesuit-Strake Jesuit final.

About 15 years ago, these same programs took turns winning bracket titles on the same fields in Tampa in the original Tampa Invitational.

On Friday, Noah Kurtz ha a goal and one assist to pace Tampa Jesuit to victory.

DAY 2 RESULTS

Semifinals

Strake Jesuit (Texas) 2, J.W. Mitchell (Fla.) 1 (PKs) -- SJ: Zach Till. JWM: Max Moon. (Strake wins 4-3 in PKs).

Tampa Jesuit (Fla.) 3, [Seminole (Seminole) fl-m] (Fla.) 1 -- TJ: Noah Kurtz, Connar Stuart, Zachary Board. S: Davis Daughtry.

Consolation

Belen Jesuit (Fla.) 3, Osceola (Fla.) 1 -- B: Harrison Stoker (2), Fran Castanos. O: n/a.

Melbourne (Fla.) 4, San Ignacio (Puerto Rico) 1 -- M: n/a. SI: Diego Zayas.

DAY 3 MATCHES

Seventh Place: Osceola (Fla.) vs. San Ignacio (Puerto Rico)

Fifth Place: Melbourne (Fla.) vs. Belen Jesuit (Fla.)