The 02, 03 and 04 Girls teams traveled across the country to Arizona, where they competed in the three-day ECNL Phoenix tournament, and it was an impressive showing by the eldest team making the trip west. The 02 Girls finished with a 2-0-1 record with wins over the DMCV Sharks (Calif.) and Crossfire Premier (Wash.) before finishing with a draw against the FC Dallas Academy.
Taylor Hamlett had a pair of goals for the 02 Girls, Katelyn Kauffman scored the lone goal against Crossfire Premier, and Caroline Czarnecki scored a last-second winner in the opener against DMCV Sharks. The real star of the weekend, however, was the defensive and goalkeeping play, as the 02 Girls conceded just two goals in 270 minutes of play against top opposition.
Closer to home, the boys teams from 00/01 through 06 traveled north to the Buffalo area, where they played BoysECNL league matches against the Western New York Flash. It was a dominating weekend for the RDA boys, who won 11 of the 12 matches played Saturday and Sunday. The 00/01 Boys and 04 Boys were particularly in control, outscoring their opposition over two matches by totals of 16-0 and 19-1, respectively. Not all of the teams had it that easy, particularly the 03 Boys, who came away from two competitive games with wins of 4-3 and 3-1.
It was also a good weekend for the 03 East Boys, who continued their improving form by taking two wins — both in shutout fashion — from three matches against opponents from Ohio.
For a complete rundown of the weekend’s Riverhounds Academy happenings, visit the new Live Results page on the club’s website, a new one-stop destination for Hounds news with a focus on the Academy.
This weekend will be a busy one around the Riverhounds, with a full slate of Academy matches as well as the pro team’s home opener at 7 p.m. on Saturday against Hartford Athletic at Highmark Stadium. Tickets for the opener are available at ticketmaster.com.
Sunday, April 7
• The 02 Girls finished an outstanding weekend with an unbeaten, 2-0-1 mark after holding FC Dallas to a 1-1 draw. Taylor Hamlett had the goal for the Hounds, who completed the weekend allowing only two goals against excellent opposition.
• Sarah Schupansky scored the lone goal for the 03 Girls, who capped a challenging weekend with a 1-1 draw against a Seattle United squad that played very compact in the back in sweltering conditions.
• A combination of extreme heat and tired legs made life tough for the 04 Girls. Despite carrying the majority of possession, the Hounds couldn’t crack a big, strong defense of the LA Breakers, who scored on a second-half corner kick to win 1-0.
• The five-win, one-loss Saturday turned into a perfect six wins Sunday for the RDA boys in their second day of league matches against the Western New York Flash. A series of lopsided results in the Hounds’ favor was highlighted by a 9-0 win for the 00/01 Boys.
• The 02 Boys spread out the scoring in a 7-1 win. Danny Ibrahim scored twice, and Luke Peperak, Nino Civitate, Nick Tanner, Anthony Rowan and TJ Cherry had a goal apiece.
• For the second consecutive day, the 03 Boys were challenged and produced a victory, this time by a 3-1 score. Tony Nicassio, Sam Farner and Will Sangpachatanaruk had the RDA goals.
• The 05 Boys, behind two goals from Alex Hauschrect and single goals by Ezra Dubowitz and Ethan Rice, pulled out a 4-3 result to finish their two-win weekend.
• Showing resilience after a Saturday setback, the 06 Boys came alive for a convincing 6-1 victory over the Flash. The 04 Boys, meanwhile, were never threatened in a lopsided 11-1 contest.
• Completing a 2-1 weekend that showed a great deal of improvement, the 03 East Boysmade an Ethan Myers goal stand up as they notched a 1-0 win over Upper 90 Futbol (Ohio).
Saturday, April 6
• A strong academy day was capped by a big road win from the Pro Team, which got their first victory of the year by a 1-0 score, knocking off defending champion Louisville City FC in Kentucky for the second consecutive season. Neco Brett scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, and you can read all about the match HERE.
• The 02 Girls turned in an outstanding defensive and goalkeeping performance to snag a 1-0 win over Crossfire Premier (Wash.) and run their their record in Arizona to 2-0. Katelyn Kauffman netted the lone goal, which sets the team up for a shot at a perfect weekend when they face FC Dallas on Sunday.
• The 04 Girls fell to a second straight one-goal loss against tough competition at ECNL Phoenix. Mary Kate Lape opened the scoring, but Oklahoma Celtic answered with a pair of goals for a 2-1 win.
• The 03 Girls game followed the same script as the 04s. Tatum Gretz gave the Hounds a one-goal lead at halftime, but two goals after the break sent the Boise Thorns to the 2-1 win.
• The Hounds boys teams posted a strong afternoon at the Western New York Flash, winning five of six games on the day. The 00/01 Boys put up a 7-0 win behind a hat trick by Jacob Adams and two goals from Nathan Dragisich, with Fletcher Amos and Giuseppe Croce rounding out the scoring.
• The 02 Boys were 5-2 winners, with the RDA scoring coming from a Luke Peperak hat trick and goals by Anthony Rowan and Nick Tanner.
• The closest game of the day in the Empire State was the RDA 03 Boys squeaking out a 4-3 victory. Will Sangpachatanaruk and Sam Farner scored two goals apiece in the victory.
• The 04 Boys romped to an 8-0 win. Brady Paliscak had three goals, and Anders Bordoy added a pair.
• Alex Hauschrect had all five RDA goals as the 05 Boys cruised to a 5-0 victory.
• The 06 Boys suffered the lone setback of the day, as the Flash’s team speed caught the Hounds on the counter in a 4-1 loss.
Friday, April 5
• The first RDA win of the weekend in Phoenix came courtesy of the 02 Girls, who topped the DMCV Sharks (Calif.) in late comeback fashion, 2-1. Taylor Hamlett put her team in position to take a well-earned draw by tying the game with five minutes remaining, but Caroline Czarnecki stole all the points and had the the Hounds buzzing with a goal on the final kick of the game.
• The 03 Girls faced a tough task against a high-powered So Cal Blues team, but Sarah Schupansky’s goal cut into a two-goal So Cal lead. The Hounds nearly tied the score when Alexis Wateska’s shot struck the post, but a second goal wasn’t to be as the Hounds eventually fell, 4-1.
• The 04 Girls started off the afternoon in Phoenix by falling behind by a pair of goals to Scorpions SC (Mass.). The team rallied as Mackenzie Dupre and Mary Kate Lape leveled the score, but a last-minute goal sent the 04 Girls to a 3-2 defeat.
“It was a great first day at ECNL Phoenix,” academy director Scott Gibson said after the Friday games. “The level of the competition, facility, weather and large volume of college coaches make us all look forward to the games tomorrow.”
• In Friday action closer to home, the 03 East Boys continued their improving play with a 3-0 win over Canton Akron Premier. Ethan Banks, Dalton Grimes and Tyler Chernisky were the goal scorers.
