Super-20 Semifinal's Set
Women's final: Parsippany SC and Quickstrike, Sunday 10 a.m.
Saturday, August 4
By: Jason Minnick
EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE – What could have been a very simple Saturday for many teams in the third day of United Soccer Leagues Super-20 League action turned very complicated. The matches began a full hour ahead of the past two days schedule at 9 a.m. On field two, the Toronto Lynx faced MPS U20. The winner owned the Group B Championship and a place in the semifinals.
In the 38th minute Toronto’s Luke Stedmond put the Lynx ahead with a shot from just inside the area. On the goal, Stedmond beat MPS goalkeeper Nick Nybo to the near post, the ball bounced near the six hit the post and spun backwards into the far side netting. The one goal lead lasted until the 60th minute when MPS striker Andrew Olsen picked out the far post with a sharp roller. The goal knotted the match at 1-1.
“Our left back pushed and was able to draw a couple defenders,” said Olsen. “He got me the ball in space and I did a step-over to shake the defender and hit it with my left to the far post.”
The goal’s implications: Group B fell to the defense of the Reading Rage. The tie leveled the Lynx, MPS U20 and Bakersfield at five points each. The tiebreaker going to goal differential, Toronto was poised to advance as long as the Reading Rage held Bakersfield in check. The Californian’s needed a three goal win. MPS U20, despite not losing a match in these North American Finals, was eliminated.
“That is just how it goes,” said Olsen. “I felt like we were the best team in our group but it came down to us not being able to finish yesterday against the Rage. The competition in the Super-20 Finals was excellent. The game today against Toronto was a battle. They were the best competition we faced, big in the back and very organized.”
The Rage’s match kicked off on the same field following the MPS/Toronto match.
During the morning, another Midwest representative, Penn’s Forest woke up two days into the tournament. They effectively  eliminated the Brandon Flames via a 5-5 draw on field four. The exciting result closed the door on a possible Southeast Division Super-20 Championship repeat. Another implication, a PDA loss to Seacoast United would send the host through to the next round. That match was also part of the 11 a.m. package of which the temperature and the implications came to a boil. The winner advanced in three of the four matches: D.C. United and the Chicago Fire Premier, Red Bull New York and Super Nova FC and Seacoast United and PDA.
Super Nova opened the scoring when William Byrne out of Bucknell University beat his defender with a fake shot and buried one to the far post past Red Bull goalkeeper Brendan Dunn. Red Bull answered almost instantly. A goal from Matt Kassel by way of a free kick set just outside the area. A simple set piece, a left footed player ran over the ball before Kassel bent a downward twisting shot with his right, over the wall and into the far side netting. The goal set the table for the remainder of the half, a back and forth battle played primarily in the middle.
“I knew Super Nova would be a tough game heading into the match,” said Red Bull New York Director of Coaching Paul O’Donnell. “Anytime a team knows they can advance with a win, they are going to play you tough. We understood the situation but we still came out flat. Super Nova scoring early may have been the best thing that could have happened. We woke up and played well afterwards.”
 Just before the conclusion of the half, the roar of the crowd could be heard from the Major League Soccer U20 Academy grudge match being played on field one. United’s 11-goal-in-two-match output rendered far off spectators inaccurate – it wasn’t D.C. doing the goal scoring.
The Premier took a 1-0 lead off a goal by the Fire’s Keith Simpson.
“We had just made a substitution and brought on Simpson,” said Fire Head Coach Paul Cadwell. “One of our backs brought the ball up and picked him out – he made a nice play and found the back of the net.”
The goal was a subtle reminder to all that there are no matches at the Super-20 North American Finals that do not carry deadly implications.
 The Fire quickly pulled all 11 behind the ball to defend, full-out, their one goal advantage.
“We had seen them play in an earlier match and scouted them well,” said Cadwell. “We knew they were a very fast, very talented offensive team. Pulling our boys behind the ball gave them full procession of the ball, but that was something we had to do.”
The strategy worked thru the 64th minute. But in the 65th D.C. United’s relentless pressure broke down the Fire wall. United earned a corner kick which they converted into a goal off the foot of Jordan Graye.
Red Bull now at 2-2 with Super Nova on field three, the key to the next round for both D.C. United and Red Bull New York became tie and advance.
It did not happen.
 The Premier shifted gears like a well-oiled machine, charging from their fortress into attack. They controlled play with growing strain on the D.C. United defense and netted a go-ahead goal in the 74th minute. The strike was a game winner. It punched their ticket to the semifinals. They are the representative from Group A and will face Red Bull New York in the semifinals. Red Bull finished 2-2 with Super Nova, earning the right to represent Group C. Group D was swept by PDA, dashing the hopes of Seacoast United on field four 4-1. The Rage held up their end of the bargain and finished 2-1 against Bakersfield. The resulting point total gave Toronto the bid out of Group B. Toronto and PDA also square off this evening.
The men’s semifinal set, the women took the field at 1 p.m. The matches: Quickstrike and the Brooklyn Knights on field two, the Washington Freedom and FC Frederick on field one.
 A fresh team in the Super-20 League, Quickstrike utilized their two veteran players, one sewing up the back line, another scoring goals. They opened up a 3-0 lead over the Knights and never looked back earning a trip to the finals.
“Today went well for us,” said Quickstrike Head Coach Jesse Kolmel. “Yesterday we started slow but today we knew we had to go for it. Being a first year club we are very young but our two veterans really bring together this young group of girls.”
“Brittany Taylor, our center back is the anchor and soul of our defense,” added Kolmel. “Up front we have Amanda DaCosta scoring goals. Those girls being experienced with the U.S. National Team they are able to provide that leadership for us here. ”
The defending Super-20 League women’s champion prevailed 5-0 over FC Frederick. The win boosted the club’s record to 10-1-0 this season. Unfortunately, their first loss came yesterday to Parsippany 2-1. Without help from MPS U20 in the 3 p.m. match, the Freedom would not return to the finals.
Their fate in their own hands, Parsippany remained as solid in the back as they were all weekend. They allowed zero goals in a 2-0 win over MPS to advance to their second consecutive Super-20 Finals. They will face the upstart, Quickstrike SC, tomorrow at 10 a.m.
“We played Parsippany twice during the regular season,” said Quickstrike’s Kolmel. “We traded wins with them. They are an excellent side. They have the program, the tradition. We view ourselves as a bunch of nobodies from nowhere with a chip on our shoulder.”
|
|
