ECNL Recap: Hat tricks and a hot start

ECNL Recap: Hat tricks and a hot start
by J.R. Eskilson
December 18, 2012

Only a handful of clubs were in action this weekend in the ECNL, as many took a brief holiday break before the start of the ECNL Showcase in Sanford, Florida on December 28.

Those that did play put in some impressive performances including Maryland club Freestate Soccer Alliance, which was playing its first games of the season this weekend and came out with mostly wins from the five age groups.

Check out some of the other top games from the weekend in the ECNL recap below:

U14

Francine Phillips spurred on the Bethesda SC offense with two assists in the Maryland club's 5-0 win over Richmond Strikers on Saturday. Jamie Fink, Natalie Gately, Montana Hill, Olivia Kane, and Samantha Martinez all scored a goal in the shutout win. Bethesda moved into fourth in the Midatlantic Conference with the three points.

FC Delco used Averie Florschutz’s first goal of the season to top Penn Fusion 1-0 on Saturday in the Northeast Conference. FC Delco is now 4-1-5 on the season heading into the three-month break for winter.

Challenge SC’s defense put the clamps on Ariana Owens and a talented Lonestar SC attack on Saturday in a 0-0 draw between the two Texas clubs. Owens is one of the top scorers in the ECNL with 14 goals this season.

U15

Haley Berg is quick emerging as a superstar in the ECNL. The Dallas Texans midfielder, who is playing up an age group, notched a hat trick on Saturday in a 3-0 win over Texas Rush. Berg now has 13 goals and eight assists in 16 games this season. Berg, who appeared with the U14 Girls National Team in May, is among the top scorers in the ECNL’s U15 age group.

Freestate Soccer Alliance started the season with a pair of wins over the weekend. Nicole Bautista had the lone goal on Saturday in a 1-0 win over Virginia Rush. Freestate followed that up with a 4-0 thrashing of Richmond Strikers on Sunday.

Minnesota Thunder grabbed its second win of the season on Sunday with a 3-1 victory at home against Sockers FC. Keely Cartrett, Mariah Haberle, and Jennifer Marsh were the goal scorers for the Thunder in the Midwest Conference fixture.

U16

Bethesda, like its younger cohorts, got its season off to a strong start with a pair of 3-0 victories. On Saturday, Bethesda SC topped Richmond Strikers with Keaira Clark, Makela Davidson, and Taylor Kirchgessner providing the goals. Alexandra Hamer, Heather Rucci, and Stephanie Shin scored in Sunday’s win over Virginia Rush. Goalkeeper Ryan Jones was in net for both of the shutouts.

Lonestar SC kept its spot in the top four in the Texas Conference with a 4-1 win over Challenge SC on Saturday. Katie Glenn had two goals while Claudette Lassandro and Marissa McMahand added the other two for Lonestar. Jessica Gerow had the lone tally for the losing side.

Atlanta Fire’s Samantha Jacob picked a good time to register her first two assists of the season. The forward’s two helpers led the Fire to a 3-0 win over over Carolina Elite Soccer Academy on Saturday. Jacob also scored a goal on the day.

U17

The top two teams in the Southeast Conference battled to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Ohio State commit Mary Gracin Palmer had the assist while Colleen Markey notched the lone goal for CASL Chelsea Ladies. The one-point was enough for Charlotte Soccer Academy to retain the top spot in the conference heading into the showcase next week.

TCU commits Leslie Bonner and Michaela Abam each scored a goal for AHFC in a 3-0 win over TSC Hurricane on Saturday. Houston commit Selena Peters added the other goal.

In the Saint Louis Scott Gallagher rivalry, SLSG defeated SLSG-Metro 3-0 behind goals from Hannah Brobst, Sarah Price, and Arkansas commit Taylor Sancegraw. SLSG also won the meeting in the U16 and U18 age groups. The two clubs played to a 1-1 draw in the U15 meeting.

U18

Ohio(w) commit Allison Cislo scored twice on Saturday in Freestate Soccer Alliance’s 4-0 win over Virginia Rush. Louisville commit Caroline Kimble and George Mason commit Hollie Byer also had a goal in the first game of the season for the Maryland club. Freestate added another win on Sunday with a 1-0 result over Richmond Strikers.

Georgia commit Lauren Tanner had two goals and an assist for Gwinnett Soccer Association on Saturday in a 4-2 win over Birmingham United. Taylor Burns and Alexis Thomas had the other goals for the Georgia club. GSA could not pull off the six-point weekend though. On Sunday Carolina Elite Soccer Academy topped GSA 3-2 in a Southeast Conference showdown. CESA remains in second place in the conference with the win.

Dallas Texans are still the top team in the Texas Conference after a 3-0 win over Texas Rush on Saturday. Baylor commit Kaylah Hunter and UNC Greensboro commit Katelyn Mountjoy both had a goal and an assist in the win.

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