After working through months of individual training, coaching via social media, social distancing in small groups and finally getting back to full practices, it was finally time for the boys and girls of the Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA) to return to the thrill of competition.
The RDA spent Labor Day weekend taking part in the PA Classics Keystone Cup, held at sites around Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was a markedly successful weekend, not just for the four division-winning teams and seven other finalist sides representing the Hounds, but also just for the payoff of getting back on the field representing the black and yellow in tournament play.
“It was great to get the teams back out there and competing after a long layoff,” Academy Director Scott Gibson said. “The tournament was extremely professional and provided some very high-level competition for our teams. We were delighted with the overall performance of our RDA teams and having the success we had was a nice bonus. Our main priority, however, was to use the games as preparation for the competitive season ahead, and it certainly did that.”
Four squads were title winners – the 07 Girls and 07 Regional League Girls from the RDA’s city teams and the 08 Girls and 09 Girls from the RDA East – and each faced challenging competition along their path to the top.
For the 07 Girls, it came down to the final kick of the day, as the team topped FC Delco on penalty kicks, 5-4, after playing to a 1-1 draw in the last match. That came after round-robin wins of 3-1 and 3-0 on Saturday and an early Sunday semifinal that ended 5-1 over the host club.
The Regional League side got their one draw of the weekend done early, a 2-2 result with Northeast Cantalao Attack. Those would be the only goals conceded by the side on the weekend, as they reached the final with wins of 5-0 and 1-0 before defeating NCA in a championship rematch, 2-0. Braiden Recker was excellent in goal, particularly in the 1-0 semifinal shutout of FC Delco, while Sidney Towers’ free kick and Chloe Karsman’s strike off a corner kick showed the side’s set piece skills in the final.
An opening-match draw also left the 09 East Girls with work to do Sunday to ensure they would reach the final, but they romped through their second day with an 8-0 win to secure advancement on goal difference before topping Parkland, 4-0, in the championship game.
The 08 East Girls had their lopsided wins early, scoring 17 goals in two Saturday matches. While their Sunday wasn’t as lopsided, the team was efficient in a 3-1 win over Penn Fusion and a 2-0 shutout of Delaware Union to win it.
Among the other highlights of the weekend were some high-scoring wins for the 09 Boys, which included Warren Agostoni scoring the first return-to-play hat trick for the RDA – one of two by Agostoni – in the team’s opening win. The boys were one of the seven RDA teams stopped in the final, running out of gas against a strong PA Classics side playing at home, 6-2.
The 08 Girls also had an exciting semifinal win over FC Europa, 1-0, as Adlyn Roth tapped in a cross from Averie Bierker for the only goal, while the 07 East Boys showed some toughness to hold on for a 0-0 draw they needed to qualify in their final group match against NCA.
Also reaching finals were the 07 East Girls, the 10 East Boys, the 08 RDA II Boys and the 11 Girls.
As the 2020-21 playing season progresses, the Live Results page will be the place to go to get scores each day as RDA squads compete and travel the country, as well as other links to items of note for RDA players, families and fans.
Sunday, Sept. 6
At the Keystone Cup in Lancaster, Pa.:
• It came down to penalties for the 07 Girls, but the team held its nerve to top FC Delco in the final, winning 5-4 on spot kicks after letting a lead slip in a 1-1 draw. The team had cruised into the title game with a 5-1 semifinal win over PA Classics; the scoring was spread out with Emma Schupansky netting two goals and Simone Sharpless, Mia Deramo and Helena Walker also scoring.
• The 07 Regional League Girls were also victorious, but they had to work for both their knockout wins. Braiden Recker posted the semifinal shutout, and Mela Barnhart scored the only goal in the second half of a 1-0 win over FC Delco. The final was another shutout, this time by a 2-0 score over Northeast Cantalao Attack. After a scoreless first half, Sidney Towers scored from 20 yards out on a free kick, and Chloe Karsman padded the lead from a corner kick.
• The 09 East Girls put in their most complete performance of the weekend in the final, as they dispatched Parkland, 4-0. They only reached the final by the slimmest of margins, however, as the team took the top spot in the group by a single goal over Penn Fusion, who they drew with Saturday. The Hounds won easily in their final group game, 8-0 over Delaware Union, to get the needed maximum goal difference (3).
• Also bringing home the trophy was the 08 East Girls, who took care of Delaware Union in shutout fashion, 2-0. The final was the second of two good matches on the day, as the team secured the top spot in their group with a 3-1 win over Penn Fusion.
• The 07 East Girls struggled to get much together offensively, but they still reached their final on penalties after a scoreless semifinal with PA Rush. The lack of scoring stopped them in the championship game, however, a 2-0 loss to Keystone Athletic.
• The 09 Boys finished group play in resounding fashion, riding a Warren Agostoni hat trick to a 7-0 win over Next Level Ajax (Md.) and first place. But the tables turned in the final, as goals by Christian Ovaul and Dylan Shallenberger weren’t enough, and the team appeared to run out of steam in a 6-2 loss to hosts PA Classics.
• Adlyn Roth tapped in at the back post from an Averie Bierker cross just before halftime to give the 08 Girls a 1-0 semifinal win over FC Europa. The final was a rematch against a North Union United side that toppled the Hounds 8-0 just a day earlier, but today’s match was a polar opposite. Ava Hutter equalized after the RDA fell behind, and it took a goal with less than two minutes remaining to send the Hounds to a 2-1 defeat. Despite the loss, the seven-goal swing from a day earlier showed how much progress the team made in their first weekend back.
• The 07 East Boys played well enough to win but were held to a scoreless draw by Northeast Cantalao Attack in their final group game, but a 2-0-1 record was enough to win the pool and advance to the final. The team couldn’t quite click or string anything together in its last match, however, and the Hounds fell 2-0 to FC Revolution.
• A 5-0 win over FC Revolution completed a perfect run through group play for the 10 East Boys, but the side didn’t have their A-game in the final and fell by a 2-1 score to Northeast Cantalao Attack.
• The RDA II 08 Boys played their second draw of the weekend, 0-0 with Baltimore Celtic SC, and a 1-0-2 record was enough to win the group. The team found itself down 1-0 within five minutes against a very direct Pipeline North squad in the final, but while the RDA side eventually established some possession, they couldn’t finish a chance and fell to the lone goal.
• A final wasn’t in the cards for the 09 Girls, but they still had a winning day with a 3-1 triumph over West Schuykill FC and a 2-0 win over Harford FC (Md.).
Saturday, Sept. 5
At the Keystone Cup in Lancaster, Pa.:
• The 09 Boys played the highest-scoring match of the morning games with more than enough offense to make up for a few defensive lapses in a 10-3 victory over Pipeline SC (Md.). Warren Agostoni netted the first return-to-play hat trick, while Dylan Shallenberger scored twice, and Carson Torres, Cole Celedonie, Christian Avalle, Paul Fitzsimmons and Liam McKim also had goals. After falling behind in their second match, it didn’t take much to spark the boys to a 7-1 win over Harleysville in the afternoon match, where Celedonie, Agostini and Shallenberger had braces.
• Camryn McLean scored twice for the 09 East Girls in a 4-2 win over Fusion FC. Ava Ruvalcaba and Rylee Leasher also had goals for the RDA side, which controlled possession and created plenty of chances to add to their goal total. Leasher had another two goals in the second match, but the team finished with a 3-3 draw against Penn Fusion.
• The 07 Boys had a let-down in a 2-0 loss to PA Dominion, but they rebounded with a 2-0 win over FC Delco, keeping the goal differential in their favor with strikes by JJ Vozar and Roman Agostoni. Goalie Sam Wessel and defenders Daniel Moya-Gibbons and Justin Walsh were great in the win.
• The 07 East Girls overcame a shaky opening stretch to top Tredyffrin Easttown YSA, 3-1, behind a pair of Carmella Simco goals. Leah Paugh also scored for the Hounds, who played in control throughout the second half. The team had a quick turnaround became the first RDA side to get their second win with a 2-0 victory over West Schuykill FC. Many chances were left unfinished, but Paugh and Evelyn Campbell locked up the three points with goals.
• The 10 Girls RDA II side also began with a high-scoring win, topping PA Mutiny by a 7-4 count. The back line improved throughout after facing some early problems, but the Hounds got more than enough scoring with two each from Rachel Braidic and Ashleigh Mitrik and Milan Pennetti, and a single strike by Alexa Pealer.
• The 09 East Boys turned in a pair of excellent wins, 8-2 over FC Revolution and 10-0 over FC Delco. Noah Jurcevich scored four times over the two games, while three goals each were scored by Jackson Baker, Chase Hall and Matthew Kolencik.
• The 08 East Girls cruised in their opening match, a 10-0 victory over Lionville Volt that saw two goals each by Addison Bandemer, Sadie Hostetler, Siena Ali and Ella VanNorman. VanNorman, Bandemer and Patterson twice scored again against Penn FC in the second match.
• The 07 Girls showed their class with a 3-1 win over Eagle FC and a 3-0 win against FC Delco.
• The 11 Girls posted a clean sheet with a 4-0 triumph overCASA Arsenal, and followed it up with a 5-1 win over Eagle FC.
• The 10 East Boys also had a commanding win to start play, 6-2 over FC Europa. They backed it up with another win, 5-1, against PA Classics.
• Neither side could stop scoring in the 12 East Boys’ 11-7 win over FC Delco, in which Cadon Holland scored four and Liam Pletcher had three for the Hounds. Nick Bosnic and Ridge Brunson added two tallies each for the RDA.
• Zach White scored and had a strong individual game, but the 08 Boys faced their share of early struggles in an opening 4-1 loss to Penn Fusion.
• Gabby Bunyak had the Hounds’ goal, but the 10 Girls RDA II team lost a hard-fought 2-1 battle against host club PA Classics.
• The 10 East Girls weren’t overmatched but got caught playing out of the back with pressure from South Parkland in a 5-0 defeat.
• The 08 Girls had a rough first introduction to 11-a-side play with an 8-0 loss to North Union United, but the side bounced back strongly to earn a 2-1 win over Penn FC. The team fell behind in the win, but Emma Kline pulled the score level before halftime, and Morgan Ferris scored the winner with eight minutes remaining.
• The 08 Regional League Girls also fell 5-0 to perennial power FC Delco in a game where the back line didn’t play poorly, but the side needed to produce more attack and possession to relieve pressure.
• Joe Brown had the finishing touch for the 07 East Boys, as he scored in a 2-1 comeback win over FC Delco and a 2-0 win over FC Europa.
• Clair Karsman scored all four goals against FC Delco in a strong 4-0 win for the 10 Girls, but the team needed to find some stronger play physically after a 3-1 loss in its second match.
• The 07 Regional League Girls battled for a 2-2 draw against Northeast Attack, as CC Wessel and Alexis Sullinger struck in the draw. Wessel struck again, as did Sullinger twice in a 5-0 win against CASA Arsenal, where Mela Barnhart and Chloe Karsman also scored.
• The 07 RDA II Boys had some problems of their own doing, but the side battled to steal a 3-2 win over Penn Fusion by scoring from a last-minute corner kick.
