Recap of the Disney Qualifiers: Day Three

Recap of the Disney Qualifiers: Day Three
by Andy Villamarzo
September 6, 2016
ORLANDO- The final day of the Disney Qualifier soccer showcase at the ESPN Wide World of Sports started off with cool weather and it would finally stay that way. With qualifying spots on the line for the tournament in the winter, teams competing were playing at their highest levels. Here are some of the key matchups from Monday's action. 


Orlando City 2000 Purple U17 (FL) 4-2 Wellington SC 2000 Wave White U17 (FL)

The cool weather to start off the day was a welcomed sight for the coaches and players on the third day of the Disney Qualifier and Orlando City and Wellington SC decided to take advantage by putting on a scoring display. Both teams knew that a chance to be in the finals was on the line, so the intensity was high and it would be Orlando City pulling out the exciting victory Monday morning.

Orlando City took control in the opening half of play, as the local club team got two goals from Hannah Telleysh and took a slim 2-1 lead heading into intermission. Wellington was able to stay within striking distance of Orlando City by scoring a goal of its own in the first half, as Lauren Auger knocked in a score and kept Wave White in the contest. 

Wellington tied the game up at 2-2 when Megan Rampersad broke through the Orlando City defense and scored the equalizer. Orlando City, though, wouldn't go too long without the lead, as Megan Brody scored back to back goals late in the second half to put her team through to the finals later in the afternoon. 
 
"It took all 18 girls today," Orlando City coach Scott Brody said. "You know sometimes you can play and just keep in your main girls, but we needed everyone today because Wellington is such a good team. We didn't stop going forward and that was a good thing and it created special girls. The girls setup special girls. I knew once we got the lead at 3-2 that we had to score a fourth one." 



IMG Academy U17 (FL) 1-0 FKK 00 Florida Krush Black U17 (FL)

Scoring one goal and sitting back on the lead is something some teams consider, but IMG Academy was able to nab a 1-0 advantage and continued to play their style of soccer throughout the match. The girls from Bradenton were solid on the defensive end and kept the pressure on Florida Krush, en route to claiming a spot in Monday's finals of the U19 division. 

It didn't take too long whatsoever for IMG Academy to find themselves on the scoreboard, as Ayumi Hooraki scored five minutes and 34 seconds into the match and gave her team the 1-0 lead. From there, Jake Provan's club continued to attack Florida Krush's defense from start to finish and never held back. Krush's scoring opportunities were simply very few and far between.

The second half featured much of the same play from the first half, as IMG Academy hunkered down defensively and limited the Florida Krush's already rare scoring chances. Provan credited the play of his midfielders for controlling the action at midfield and making sure that the Krush didn't notch the equalizing goal they were searching for all game long. 

"We wanted to play the same," Provan said. "We started with that tactic and we knew they were physical and they have some good midfielders they like to build through. We talked before the beginning of the game and I told the girls that it doesn't matter which team takes a 1-0 lead, we both like to build the ball. It was two quality sides."




Davie United Sharks 1998 Blue U19 (FL) 2-1 Leg-A-Z Soccer Caimans 1998 U19 (FL)

In one of the more exciting boys U19 semifinal matches on the day, Davie United Sharks matched up against Leg-A-Z Soccer Caimans and the game lived up to all of the expectations. With the match tied up at 1-1 after the second half concluded, the game went into overtime and the ending didn't disappoint one bit as Davie was able to pullout a 2-1 thriller and move onto the U19 final. 

Davie United took a 1-0 lead in the first half, as midfielder/forward Elliot Nevado got the first of two goals he would score in the match. Leg-A-Z Caimans continued to build on some early attacks on goal and were finally able to punch a goal in when Nazar Deputat knocked in his team's only score of the match. Both teams battled constantly at midfield for possession and hoped for the go-ahead goal.

The game winning goal wouldn't come in the second half, as both team's defenses tightened up immensely in hopes of pushing the match into overtime. In the extra time, Nevado would come through for Davie United and helped lift his team to a spot in the finals. 

"It was a tough game for sure and we knew that after the first 10 or 15 minutes," Davie United coach Domenico Fabbrocini said. "We did our game. We knew (Leg-A-Z Caimans) is a very good team. We played well for 30 minutes and it was a great game. We were able to dominate the second half and pull off the win. It was a fantastic game for both teams."
Related Topics: Disney Soccer Showcase
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