The new year began with one of the biggest annual showcases on the ECNL calendar, and the girls of the Riverhounds Development Academy turned out some great performances against some of the nation’s top clubs from Jan. 7-9 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.
All three of the Hounds teams in attendance — the 2005/06, 2007 and 2008 Girls — had winning outings at the event with with hundreds of college scouts and recruiters in attendance, but it was the oldest group that put together an unblemished three-day record in the Sunshine State.
The 2005/06 Girls started out Sunday with an all-USL matchup against Charlotte Independence, and goals from Atleigh Ciprich and Fiona Mahan made sure the Hounds came out on top 2-0. Their second match against Florida West saw the Hounds trail early — the only goal the team conceded all week — but they tied the match up with a Camryn Kline header. The second half was all Hounds, and Ciprich, Lola Abraham and Mahan from the penalty spot made the final score 4-1. Massachussets club FC Stars was the Hounds’ final opponent, but the team had to battle both the New Englanders and wind topping out near 40 miles per hour. The conditions were less than idea for play, but Mahan netted her third goal in as many games for a 1-0 win that completed the perfect week.
By the end of Tuesday’s play, the 05/06s were one of eight teams in the 63-team age group to finish with three wins from three matches. Factoring in goal difference, with seven for and one against, the Hounds finished tied for second in the overall table, an outstanding start to 2024.
The 2007 Girls opened their time in Florida with a back-and-forth match against Match Fit Academy (N.J.), in which the Hounds fell behind by a pair of goals before rallying for a 4-3 win. Grace Bannon and Reese Huffman scored to pull the score level at 2-2, and Aubrey Wells gave the Hounds their first lead of the game. Match Fit tied the match at 3-3, but Simone Sharpless ended the exciting match with a last-minute winning goal. Next up for the 07s was a battle with Atlanta Fire, another high-level matchup. The Hounds played well in the run of play, but the Fire made the difference in the match with three headed set piece goals to send the Hounds to a 4-2 loss, despite goals from Emma Schupansky and Sierra Dupre. The weekend ended with another game affected by heavy winds Tuesday; the Hounds fell 1-0 to a second-half Utah Avalanche goal after having numerous chances of their own turned away in the first half with the wind at their backs.
The 2008 Girls were also very successful with two wins in their three matches at the showcase. The lone setback was the opening match against the North Carolina Fusion, who rallied for a 2-1 win after Aaliyah Siegal initially put the Hounds ahead. The second match was a convincing 5-1 victory for the Hounds over PDA South (N.J.) that featured a hat trick for Averie Bierker and two goals by Sarah Kushnir. With a chance to finish among the top 20 of a group with 82 teams competing, the Hounds controlled play for the second match in a row to top Nebraska side Gretna Elite, 3-0. Bierker finished as the weekend’s top scorer with five goals after adding two more Tuesday, and Caylie Wilkinson also put one in the net to round out the final match.
Two Hounds players were also recognized individually, as both Abraham and Dupre were chosen for the Continental Tire ECNL National Selection Game played on the first night of the event and streamed on HudlTV. Their recognition, in addition to taking six wins from nine matches overall, rounded out an impressive weekend across the board by the Hounds Academy.
