Below are Wilmington Youth Soccer in-town game summaries from Saturday, May 9.
Girls Kindergarten games:
Chicago Red Stars vs. Seattle Reign
One could only believe the silence of the crowd was due to the fantastic ball skill of Emma Ebert & Leah Hanafin. However it did not take long for the crowd to cheer as goals were scored by Elizabeth Kulevich & Sara Keck. The Chicago Red Stars defensive stand made by Isabella Goldstein & Madison O’Donoghue could only be viewed as heroic.
Boys Kindergarten games:
Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo
Nobody stayed home for this action packed game. The Chicago Fire’s Ryan Hudd and Jonathan Malley scored, getting the crowd jumping out of their seats. Outstanding offense by Xavier Rojas De Los Santos and Brady Beldekas set up many scoring chances while Jake Beldekas played flawless defense.
FC Dallas vs. Colorado Rapids
The fans were energized by this exciting game. Ryan Constantine opened the scoring with two early goals before the team settled into a rhythm. Damian Dicenso, Cole Falk, and Daniel Finn supplied offensive pressure while Richard Holland and Cooper O’Shea backed up their efforts on defense.
What has turned out to be a tough Colorado Rapid offense continued their strong work upfront as they out manned FC Dallas for another positive ending. Ryan Archer, Evan Walsh and Cameron Molina got on the scoring board, while Maxwell Bagtaz, Frank Cain and Viraj Patel kept the back strong and the opponent from scoring in another fantastic outing.
Girls Grade 1 games:
Chicago Red Stars vs. Seattle Reign
The crowds gathered at the Shawsheen fields for this back and forth game. The RedStars led by Maddie Gryglik & Ella Dong got the crowd jumping out of their seats. The RedStars started off strong with great offensive pressure from Cate MacDonald & Madelyn Oatis. Coupled with the steel-like defense of Maria McCarthy, their efforts made for an incredible game. Ali McElligott & Lily King led the scoring charge, while the great defensive effort of Makaila Cella kept the action going to keep the RedStars in the match.
FC Kansas City vs. Houston Dash
Nobody stayed home for this action packed game. The FC Kansas City’s Sara Reppucci scored getting the crowd out of their seats. Outstanding offense by Arianna Fasulo set up many of the scoring chances. The flawless defense of Mackenzie Weatherbee provided great protection throughout the game.
The Houston Dash’s Zoey Helbert, Ava Noble, Skylar Nguyen, and Ella O’Connell stayed on their toes creating many scoring opportunities. The play of Maeve Doherty, Abigail Howie, Isabella Rogers and Sadie Winchell shut down the other end of the field on defense that set the tone for this game.
Boys Grade 1 games:
Colorado Rapids vs. LA Galaxy
The Colorado Rapids stayed on their toes creating many scoring opportunities by Roman Synott and Cameron Thompson. The play of Dylan Grace and Matthew Driscoll shut down the other end of the field on defense that set the tone for this game. Fantastic ball skill were displayed by Jackson Guy, Ethan Afthim and Quinn Stockman.
Portland Timbers vs. New England Revs
The air was full of excitement, as the much-anticipated match between Portland Timbers and New England Revs commenced. Fantastic ball skill were displayed by Aidan Largenton and Logan Yautkus resulting in goals by Gavin Burke. The midfield and defensive play of Ryan Belanger and Jonas Arulraj kept the HOMETEAM in excellent shape. The crowd roared to their feet when Beckett Rosner and Reiley Young made some spectacular saves.
Columbus Crew vs. NY Red Bulls
Top-Notch play kept people watching this one. Excellent offensive plays by Kevin Pruslin, Isaac Tavares, Dennis Desouza, Alexander D’Anna, Nathan (sub) and Ryan (sub) applied heavy pressure causing the opponent team to back pedal. Defensive positioning by Isaac Tavares, Ryan (sub) and Alexander D’Anna fended off any threat that came thru making it tough for the opponent team. Dennis Desouza, Kevin Pruslin and Nathan (sub) also played a great game in net, keeping the game in hand.
Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo
The air was full of excitement, as the much-anticipated match between Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo commenced. Fantastic ball skill were displayed by Nicolas Spinosa resulting in goals by Owen Fitzpatrick and Derek Mulik . The midfield and defensive play of Adam Veliz kept the Chicago Fire in excellent shape. The crowd roared to their feet when Gavin Dong made some spectacular saves.
Seattle Sounders vs. DC United
In what could have been confused as a World Cup Match, the Sounders started off strong with great offensive pressure from Callan Stone and Gavin Churchill. Coupled with the steel-like defense of Josh Uchendu and Colin Dwyer their efforts made for an incredible game. John Mehr and Jacob McCauley scored first for the Sounders while the Ashley Cole-like effort of Adam Brueggman provided solid goal-defending to keep their team alive.
Girls Grade 2 games:
Chicago Red Stars/Houston Dash vs. Boston Breakers/Portland Thorns
In what could have been confused as a World Cup Match, the CHIGACO RED STARS/HOUSTON DASH started off strong with great offensive pressure from Natalie Moretti, Rebecca Hughes, and Madeline Long coupled with the steel like defense of Madison Fenton, Isabella Hart, Abigail Mitchell, and Lorraina Raposa made for an incredible game. Kyra Turner, Eleanor Ragsdale, and Allesandra Delgenio held the mid-field for the CHIGACO RED STARS/HOUSTON DASH while the outstanding efforts of Delaney Ward and Nikki Clarke were solid in the net to keep their team alive. What an awesome match on this glorious, hot, and sunny day!
In a rare all-star match the Boston Breakers combined with the Portland Thorns to take on the Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars. The crowd was kept on the edge of their seats this week as the Boston Breakers and Portland Thorns, led by the offensive skills of Gabriella Fitzgibbons and Emma Alworth resulted in scoring opportunities by Ivone Airoso, Lilliann Brooks, Gracie Berrier, and Callie Mccauley. The defense was not to be left out of this one either as Jacklyn Suttie kept the ball out of their zone for much of the game. Timely saves by Alyssa Costantiello and Meredith Card helped strengthen a solid team effort.
Boys Grade 2 games:
DC United vs. Chicago Fire
On the other side of the ball for the Chicago Fire was an incredible offensive performance by Luca Gabardi and Ben Gibbons , while goals scored by John Gibbons and Connor Lovell got the Fire on the board. With a rock solid defensive stand led by Jack Murphy and J.J. Del Turco the Fire were never out of this game. The midfield team led by Brennan Walsh could only be classified as awesome. John Pozzi resembled a brick wall while protecting the Fire goal.
Despite missing key contributors Koko Shinohara, Jason Spaniol, and Frankie Greico, DC United played a hard fought game. The offense was led by the always steady Zein Khenifar, Lucas Poirier, and Ethan Schoenholtz. Gavin King, Kyle McDonald, Ryan Muise controlled the midfield and defensive side of the ball for the home team.
New England Revolution vs. Seattle Sounders
The visiting Seattle Sounders gave the host New England Revolution a battle they will soon not forget. A scoreless tie was broken when the Revolution defensive players were on the attack and Seattle capitalized. The non-stop running of Corey Taylor, Tyler Marinho and Patrick Mailet was not enough to stop a strong offense. The usually tough Revolution midfielders of Justin Gambable, Kaleb Molina and Oliver Ferrer were outnumber and the top scorer in Tommy Lewis was constantly stopped shy of scoring. Spencer Bagtaz valiantly defended the net, but Seattle was a strong opponent.
(NOTE: Summaries provided by the Wilmington Youth Soccer Association.)
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