The calendar year is still early, but the RDA’s 2009 Boys already can call themselves the Ultimate champions in 2020.
The 09 side was victorious last weekend at the Ultimate Cup in Richmond, Va., with a dominant set of performances that saw the team outscore their four opponents by a combined 28-0, including a 6-0 win in the championship game against RSK Chesterfield (Va.).
Harlan Smith, Dylan Shallenberger and Warren Agostoni each recorded hat tricks during the group stage for the 09 Boys, but the final saw the Hounds’ scoring load divvied up equally with Smith, Liam McKim, Agostoni, Grayson Stuart, Pauly Fitzsimmons and David Zakrocki all scoring once.
The 10 Boys nearly matched their elders’ feat by reaching the final with a 25-3 goal difference in three group matches. Their championship game against coastal Virginia club Golden Ball turned out to be quite a competitive match, however. Keller Gilson tied the score right before halftime, but the Hounds couldn’t quite finish enough of their chances and fell to a 3-1 defeat.
While the boys traveled south, the girls headed west for the Ohio Elite Showcase in and around Cincinnati.
The 03 Regional League Girls produced convincing wins in all three of their matches, starting with a 4-0 win over Ohio’s Pacesetter SC that saw Jenna Shuman and Rachel Mamula score twice. A second straight 4-0 win over Team Chicago Academy set the team up to end the perfect weekend with a 4-1 win over Impact Academy GFC (Ohio). Mamula and Shuman finished with three goals each, while Natalie Allen netted in both the Saturday and Sunday matches.
While that showcase went on with a 2-1-0 weekend for the 01/02 Girls and a 1-1-1 record for the 01/02 Composite Girls side among other strong results, one RDA girls player made a road trip longer than anyone last week.
Tessa Dellarose made her international debut for the United States in a U-16 UEFA Development Tournament held at England’s national training center in Burton. The Hounds’ player got a full 90 minutes in her first match on Feb. 19, a 2-1 loss to Spain, which she followed up with 45 minutes in a 3-1 victory over England.
Her weekend ended with perhaps her best 45 in a 5-0 win against Denmark to close the tournament. With the U.S. leading just 1-0 at halftime after a penalty kick, Dellarose entered the game and provided a spark with dangerous crosses throughout, including setting up the Americans’ second goal.
Sunday, Feb. 23
At the Ultimate Cup in Richmond, Va.:
• The 09 Boys were victorious at the Ultimate Cup after a 6-0 win in the championship game over RSK Chesterfield (Va.). Scoring was spread out in the final, with Harlan Smith, Liam McKim, Warren Agostoni, Grayson Stuart, Pauly Fitzsimmons and David Zakrocki each recording a goal. Agostoni had a hat trick earlier in the day as the team closed group play with a 7-0 win over the Richmond Kickers, and Stuart, Smith, Carson Torres and Camden Sullinger also scored.
• The 10 Boys met their match in their championship game, and it was the Tidewater, Va.-area Golden Ball side that took a 3-1 win. Keller Gilson tied the game for the RDA before halftime, and the Hounds were able to create further chances but just couldn’t capitalize. The team reached the final with a 6-2 win over the Richmond Kickers. Ryan Perez had a hat trick in that win, while Gilson scored twice and Ashwain Menon added a goal.
• Locked in a defensive battle, the 08 Boys’ tournament ended in a flurry of scoring with all five goals in the last 15 minutes of a 3-2 loss to the Richmond Kickers. Calder Mahan tied the score with a penalty kick just 30 seconds after the Kickers opened the scoring. Ryan Maloney scored an exceptional goal for the Hounds after Richmond again went ahead with their own stellar goal, but the Kickers got the winner on the counter-attack after the RDA had its own last-minute scoring chance.
• After a tough first day, the 09 RDA II Boys notched a pair of results with a 3-3 draw against SOCA Augusta (Va.) and a 2-0 win over the Richmond Kickers. Noah Hickman scored twice, and Devin Sartori added a goal in the draw, and Charlie Weiler and Cooper Hilligsburg netted in the victory.
• The 07 RDA II Boys claimed a spot in the semifinals by finishing second in their group on goal difference, but they were stopped 4-2 in that round by Triangle United (N.C.). Goals by AJ Marcotte and Krish Lai twice put the Hounds in the lead after a good spell of possession, but injuries to two center backs and tired legs allowed the Carolinians to close the match with three unanswered goals.
At the Ohio Elite Showcase in Cincinnati:
• Some lineup shake-ups paid off for the 07 Girls, who rolled to a 5-0 win over Falls City (Ky.). Simone Sharpless, Sierra Dupre, Madeline Barr, Milena Gill and Emerson Kline netted the goals for the Hounds.
• The 06 Girls had a much-improved performance and got a goal from Lily Karsman before halftime, but they were stopped 2-1 by a solid Club Ohio squad.
• The 01/02 Girls needed to defend and battle for more than an hour before getting the breakthrough, a Blair Echnat finish at the near post from a Taylor Hamlett cross that was the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Pacesetter SC (Ohio).
• The 01/02 Composite Girls finished their weekend with a 1-1-1 record after closing with a bit of a flat outing that resulting in a 2-0 loss against Dayton Players Academy (Ohio).
• Despite falling behind to an early goal — the only one conceded all weekend — after a defender slipped at the top of the box, the 03 Regional League Girls stormed back for a 4-1 win over Impact GFC Academy (Ohio). Rachel Mamula, Jenna Shuman, Natalie Lex and Natalie Allen scored goals in the RDA win.
Saturday, Feb. 22
At the Ultimate Cup in Richmond, Va.:
• The 10 Boys look like a juggernaut after wins of 10-0 and 9-1. Caydon Payne had a hat trick in the opener against the host Richmond Kickers, and Ashwin Menon had a hat trick in the second match against Beach FC (Va.).
• Just as dominant were the 09 Boys, whose wins came by scores of 10-0 against Stafford Soccer (Va.) and 5-0 against the host Strikers. Harlan Smith was the four-star scorer in the opening match, and Dylan Shallenberger, who scored in the opener, had the hat trick in the team’s second win.
• The 08 Boys split their matches, showing resiliency after losing their opener to Herndon Ajax (Va.), 4-2. Zach White scored first, and Chase Wilojanapa made it 2-2 for the RDA before Herndon grabbed the win. Match two was a different story, as a Calder Mahan hat trick and an exceptional four-assist game for Wilojanapa paced a 7-0 win against Calvert SC (Md.).
• The 07 RDA II Boys did everything right in the way they played in the opener against Dynamo SC (Va.), but a missed penalty caused them to settle for a 0-0 draw. Theo Tedesco scored in the team’s second match, but a physically strong and direct Bethesda FC (Md.) side capitalized on two defensive errors and added a late one in a 3-1 defeat of the Hounds.
• Finishing was a problem for the 09 RDA II Boys, who otherwise were in both of their matches. Each one, however, ended as a 3-0 loss for the Hounds.
At the Ohio Elite Showcase in Cincinnati:
• The 03 Regional League Girls are looking tough to beat after a second straight 4-0 win, this one against the Team Chicago Academy. Alyssa DeLeonibus, Natalie Allen, Sarah Powell and Carly O’Connell scored the goals.
Friday, Feb. 21
At the Ohio Elite Showcase in Cincinnati:
• It was a comfortable 3-0 win, albeit against physical opposition, for the 01/02 Girls against Total Futbol Academy (Ohio). Gina Proviano and Blair Echnat got on the ends of crosses for a 2-0 halftime lead, and Katelyn Kauffman added the third with a long-range strike.
• It wasn’t a dominating win, but Mia Dudek’s volleyed finish of a Chloe Kuminkoski cross was exactly what the 01/02 Composite Girlsneeded to claim a 1-0 win over Oak Brook SC (Ill.)
• The 03 Regional League Girls were dominant and kept possession well to their advantage in a 4-0 win over Ohio’s Pacesetter SC. Jenna Shuman scored twice, once off a shot from distance, and the other after a long run from midfield to get on the end of a Rachel Mamula cross. Mamula had the other two goals on a rebound and a turn-and-shoot move from atop the 18.
• The 04 Regional League Girls dropped a 3-1 decision to Lakota FC. The Hounds battled hard despite falling behind 3-0, and Katy Tain pulled a goal back in the late stages. Alena Taleday and Morgan Proskin both had strong defensive performances for the RDA side.
At the UEFA Development Tournament in Burton upon Trent, England:
• The second international appearance for Tessa Dellarose yielded her first win with the U.S., who knocked off hosts England, 3-1. Dellarose entered the match as a second-half substitute.
