The winter showcase season rolled on last weekend, when the Riverhounds Development Academy’s ECNL Regional League girls teams headed west for the ECNL RL St. Louis event from Dec. 8-10 in Missouri.
Once again, the national ECNL event was packed with college coaches, and more than 120 schools were represented with scouts taking in the competition.
The oldest of the three teams to make the trip, the 2005/06 RL Girls, played three matches that couldn’t have been any tighter, and all three of their matches ended as a 1-1. Emily Sinton was set up by Ashley Janovich for the goal in the opening game, a good outing against homestanding Midwest power St. Louis Scott Gallagher. Janovich scored from an assist by Gillian Kennedy in the second match, as the Hounds played with no subs but controlled the bulk of play against Libertyville SC (Ill.). The weekend ended against Gretna Elite (Neb.), and it was Gigi Fuchel who scored to tie the match with 10 minutes remaining. Helen Bossart and Abby Rosser stood out among a group that held their own playing heavy minutes across three days.
The 2007 RL Girls also acquitted themselves well and overcame some adversity in their first match, a 2-1 loss to Gretna Elite. Despite two players having to go off due to injury in the first half, Leah Paugh was able to pull a goal back for the Hounds, but the team couldn’t find a tying goal late. Day Two yielded a very difficult opponent in Texan side FC Westlake, and the Hounds battled but were unable to create many chances in a 2-0 defeat. The team’s final match ended as a 1-1 draw with St. Louis Scott Gallagher, as the team responded in the second half after falling behind, and Addie Heim set up Paugh for the tying goal.
The youngest group making the trip were the 2008 RL Girls, who finished the weekend with a 1-1-1 record. Defense ruled the day in the opening match, but the Hounds played well enough that they felt they should’ve had more than a 0-0 draw with FC Wisconsin. Challenge SC from Texas were the 08s’ next opponent, and both goalkeepers for the Hounds were excellent in a 1-0 loss as the team grew into the match after a rocky start. The trip ended on a winning note, as the Hounds took a 1-0 win over the Michigan Hawks. Sienna Ali scored the only goal of the game, and the team can be proud of its strong defensive record, having conceded just two goals in five matches overall since coming back together after high school season.
