The opening weekend of ECNL play for two of the Riverhounds Development Academy’s girls teams yielded split results.
The 2007 Girls, playing their first-ever match in the league, took a 6-2 win over Indiana club FC Pride on Saturday at Montour Junction in Coraopolis, but a Sunday meeting with the Indiana Fire resulted in a 7-2 defeat to get the new season off and running.
Simone Sharpless finished with three goals on the weekend, scoring once in the win and recording both goals in the team’s defeat. Four other players (Mia Deramo, Megan Conover, Emma Schupansky, Sierra Dupre) and an own goal accounted for the rest of the 07’s scoring.
Like their younger clubmates, the 2006 Girls started off on a winning note with a 2-1 victory over FC Pride, but the Fire were dominant in a 7-0 win to end the weekend. Lola Abraham and Sophia DeJesus had a goal and an assist each to get the Hounds off to a winning ECNL start.
In Ohio North League matches played in the Buckeye State, the Hounds picked up some other strong results, including a pair of wins by the 2009 Boys, 5-1 over Team Challenger FC and 5-0 over Pacesetter SC. Warren Agostoni scored five of the team’s 10 goals, including a hat trick in the second match.
The 2008 Boys also knocked off Team Challenger, 5-4, but they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Pacesetter in which both teams scored from the penalty spot. Calder Mahan netted the spot kick for the Hounds, in addition to scoring in the earlier win.
The 2009 Girls, playing with limited practice time, also moved toward the win column, shaking off an earlier 4-0 loss to a strong Internationals Red team to battle right to the wire with a strong performance in a 2-1 loss to Team Challenger. Rylee Leasher scored the tying goal as the Hounds had the better of play in the second half, but they were beaten on a high ball played into the box and couldn’t equalize again despite earning a penalty kick.
Sunday, Sept. 22
In ECNL matches at Montour Junction in Coraopolis:
• The 07 Girls ran into a tough Indiana Fire side that might be the early favorite in the Ohio Valley conference. Despite a rough start, the Hounds were able to pull a couple goals back through Simone Sharpless in the second half of a 7-2 defeat.
Saturday, Sept. 21
In ECNL matches at Montour Junction in Coraopolis:
• The 07 Girls entered ECNL action with a big win, 6-2, over Indiana’s FC Pride. Five different goal scorers found the net to go with an own goal created by good forward movement by the Hounds.
• Lola Abraham and Sophia DeJesus each had a goal and an assist, and the 06 Girls pulled out the 2-1 win on a hot day after FC Pride equalized. The Hounds handled the conditions and possessed comfortably after taking the lead in the physical contest.
In Ohio North League matches on the road:
• The 09 Boys were 5-1 winners over Team Challenger FC in their Saturday opener. Powering into a second game on the day, the 09s were victorious again, 5-0, over another Ohio club, Pacesetter SC.
• The 08 Boys won 5-4 over their Team Challenger counterparts, and their second match saw the teams exchange penalty kicks, as Calder Mahan’s conversion earned a 1-1 draw with Pacesetter.
• The 09 Girls, jumping into action with very little practice showed a good work rate and had good ideas with the ball, but the speed of play from Internationals Red was too much in a 4-0 defeat.
In Great Lakes Alliance action at Connellsville Stadium:
• The 07 East Boys faced a stern test from a technically gifted Barça Academy (Ohio), falling 8-0.
