USL Feature

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Match Fit Chelsea’s U13 girls have accumulated 28 of a possible 30 points through the first 10 matches of the team’s 14-game 2010 Super Y-League (SYL) schedule. Having played at least two more games than the rest of the teams in Group A of the Mid Atlantic Division, Match Fit has yet to close the door on the remainder of the division, but it is close. Match Fit (9-1-0) currently holds a 13-point advantage over the second-place team, the Brooklyn Knights (5-0-2).

The only match that Match Fit Chelsea did not take full points away from was the team’s first game of the season against TSF Academy, a 1-1 tie on May 26.

“The team was just getting to grips with the SYL,” Match Fit Chelsea Head Coach Jordan Raper said. “Heat and some new faces were some of the issues. The game was a good challenge for us. We faced a team that was hard to break down. We had the possession and chances to win the game but TSF were very well coached and organized. Their girls played very hard.”

Now entering the month of July, Match Fit has won nine consecutive matches heading into June. The team’s first match of July is Saturday against the Perugia Grifos (0-1-6).

“In the initial few games we had a different team out each week,” Raper said. “As the season has worn on, we have had more consistency and that has allowed us to really get some momentum going. The players have begun to realize that the games are there to be won. They have a lot of confidence right now.”

The team’s leading scorer is Carly Leipzig, who has accounted for nine of the team’s 46 goals. Just off her pace, Hana Kerner, Casey Garfinkel and Gabrielle Martone have all scored five goals apiece. Holly Confalone has contributed three goals and two assists.
“We are strong throughout and really have a tight team spirit,” Raper said. “Every player contributes. We try not to rely on any one player. That said, so far this SYL season, Kayla Jennings, Courtney Dadinos (1G), Holly Confalone and Ana Revello (1G, 3A) have really been consistent for us week in and week out.”

One of the most entertaining matches of the season was a 3-2 win against the Long Island Rough Riders on June 5.
“The first time we played the Rough Riders, they were great,” Raper said.
Match Fit hosted Long Island in the teams’ second meeting on June 13, defeating the Rough Riders, 4-1. A win on Saturday would put Match Fit extremely close to earning a qualifying position for the SYL U13 Girls’ North American Finals, held each season in Tampa, Florida.

“Match Fit continues to develop skilled players that understand the game,” Raper said. “Our training allows each and every player to be their own decision-maker on the field. That this is key in a young player’s development.”