Youth: Chargers under-16s beat HCU, under-18s fall in overtime

LAKE BUENA VISTA – The Clearwater Chargers boys under-16 team completed a strong week of performances in the Disney Soccer Showcase under-17 Copa Division, as three goals in a little under 10 minutes gave them a fourth victory for the event with a 3-0 win against Hillsborough County United’s under-17 team on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have been trying to learn how to win games,” Chargers coach Garth Pollonais said. “Now this weekend really put a positive spin on the things we have been trying to do.”

HCU started well, but once Clearwater found its stride it was able to control the pace and the rhythm of the game well, passing the ball sharply and making HCU chase. The Chargers took the lead in the 22nd minute after a good moment of awareness by Zack Shriver, who when lining up a free kick from close to 40 yards out spotted HCU’s goalkeeper cheating off his line in anticipation of a cross into the penalty area. Shriver fired a well-struck shot into the top left corner of the net, catching the goalkeeper off guard.

“It was originally going to be a cross,” Shriver said. “But then they came across and said have a shot, so I just went for it.”

The Chargers doubled their lead a minute later when Nikolai Hammer was brought down in the penalty area, and Shriver converted from the penalty spot. The Chargers added a third in the 29th minute, a good long ball down the right from full back Cameron Coughlin allowing Hammer to beat his marker for pace, and after he cut into the penalty area, he crossed low to the far post where Anthony Lucido was on hand to score.

Hammer was excellent leading the Chargers forward line, holding up possession when needed and making dangerous runs to put pressure on the HCU defense. Pollonais said that was something Hammer had been working on in training.

“That’s something we have been working on with him,” Pollonais said. “If he can hold the ball up, it keeps our flow of the game going better, and I thought he did a fantastic job doing that."

HCU had its opportunities to get back into the game but was unable to take advantage, particularly in the second half as numerous efforts missed the target. HCU coach Eric Sims was disappointed with the way his side had closed out what had been a good week to that point.

“Today defensively, (Hammer) was giving us a lot of problems,” Sims said. “The first goal, giving up a soft goal like that deflated us I think, and to give up a penalty and go down 2-0 is tough to come back from.”

While the Chargers under-16s appeared to take a big step forward as far as learning how to win games, the Chargers under-18s suffered a disappointing loss, losing a two-goal lead on the way to a dramatic 4-3 defeat in overtime against Alliance FC from Tennessee in their final.

Shane Wixted and Wes Sever had given the Chargers a 2-0 lead, but that quickly slipped away early in the second half as Alliance took a 3-2 lead. Down to 10 men, the Chargers tried to rally, and were aided by a moment of ill-discipline by the Alliance goalkeeper, who was sent off for foul language with less than 10 minutes to play in the second half, evening the numbers to 10-on-10.

Clearwater couldn’t find a way to score from the indirect free kick given after the red card, the shot being blocked by a charging Alliance wall, but after forcing a pair of corner kicks, Bruno da Silva’s volley from a half-cleared cross was blocked by a hand, giving the Chargers a penalty. da Silva himself stepped up to slot home from the spot, appearing to give Clearwater momentum as overtime began.

Alliance’s David Geno swung momentum back to his team’s side early in the first overtime period with a brilliant first touch off a long pass and a curling left-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net to give his side a 4-3 lead. Clearwater was unable to respond a second time.

Pollonais was disappointed that after a strong first half his side wasn’t able to protect its 2-0 lead better.

“The first half, we played brilliant, we controlled the game, we went two goals up,” Pollonais said. “We’ve got to learn to manage games when we are in the lead. In a game like this, where we are a better team, we’ve got to put teams away, it’s as simple as that.”

Youth: Boost from Pena lifts HCU to key victory

LAKE BUENA VISTA – Alejandro Pena keyed a spell of three goals in three minutes as Hillsborough County United’s boys under-18 team took control of its group at the Disney Soccer Showcase with a 5-2 victory against the Potomac Soccer Academy on Monday evening at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

HCU had taken the lead in the sixth minute, Keith Sierra and T.J. East combining well to set up Sierra for a fine finish. Potomac hit back in the 30th minute, but HCU retook the lead in the 39th minute as Pena and Andrew Buckley worked a nice give and go. Buckley’s shot was blocked, but the ball rebounded to Pena who curled his shot from the left side of the penalty area into the right corner of the net.

The goal seemed to throw Potomac’s players, and within a minute HCU had made it 3-1, Pena flicking on a pass to Buckley, who finished beautifully, lobbing the advancing goalkeeper with a well-controlled volley. A minute later, Pena broke into the penalty area and was brought down, Sierra stepping up to convert from the penalty spot and giving HCU a 4-1 halftime lead.

Pena had only come entered the game in the 35th minute, with HCU coach Kelvin Jones wanting to make sure he could keep him as fresh as possible.

“(Ali) played 90 minutes yesterday, and I was concerned about letting him play the full 90 today,” Jones said. “T.J. was here today, so we decided to bring Ali on a little bit later, and he had an immediate impact. His pace and power was a difference right away.”

Matt Moore added a fifth in the 68th minute, turning his defender inside-out before firing a low shot into the right corner of the net. Potomac pulled a goal back late, but HCU posted an impressive win that put it top of the Group D. A win against Commack SC from New York on Tuesday would advance the side through to face the winner of Group C for a final game.

The Clearewater Chargers played a better overall game than in their opener, but needed a slice of luck to earn a 2-1 win against the TSF Academy Celtic.

TSF opened the game well, pressuring the Chargers as they tried to find a rhythm, and having a goal ruled out for offside early, one of three such instances where TSF was denied due to an assistant referee’s flag.

The Chargers took the lead in the 32nd minute, however, as Anthony Baumann mad a run in from the right flank, and delivered a beautiful through-ball to Charles Lynch who was brought down in the penalty area. Bruno da Silva stepped up and converted from the penalty spot low into the left corner.

“We got some good feeds, and we got some good movement off the ball,” Chargers coach Garth Pollonais said. “I think at the beginning, we didn’t figure out how to get behind them, but once we started to get our rhythm and movement it was a lot better.”

TSF tied the game in the 56th minute, a low curling free kick by Chris Benedict finding its way around the wall into the left side of the Chargers’ net, but the Chargers bounced back well, controlling possession and making TSF chase the game and give away possession cheaply.

That came to fruition in the 70th minute as Ben Sweat made a surging run down the left, and was found by a long ball over the top of the TSF defense by Jayson Lopaciuk. Sweat controlled the ball by the goal line and centered, and his cross went through the TSF goalkeeper’s hands, and into his own net.

“It was a great combination play coming around the outside,” Pollonais said. “Sometimes you’ve got to be lucky in this game, so we’ll take it.”

Clearwater will look to close out group play with a perfect record when it faces the Forsyth Fusion on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, HCU’s under-17s earned a second victory with a 2-1 win against Norcross, Ga., as did the Chargers under-16s, playing in the under-17 division, with a 3-1 victory against the Tennessee Rush that guaranteed them victory in their group.

Strictly Soccer’s under-15s earned their second win in as many games with a 1-0 win against Space Coast, but their under-16 counterparts fell 2-1 to Cobb FC. RSL Florida’s under-17s bounced back from an opening defeat with a 1-0 win against Campton United, while their under-16s drew 0-0 with Tulsa SC. Fusion Futbol Club’s under-17s couldn’t build on their opening victory, falling 3-1 to the Lonestar Academy from Texas, while HCU’s under-15s fell 1-0 to North Atlanta.

Youth: Chargers earn victory in Disney opener

LAKE BUENA VISTA – The Clearwater Chargers boys under-18 side didn’t find top gear too often on Sunday afternoon, but the soccer they were able to play was enough to give them a 3-0 victory against Jackson FC from Mississippi in the Disney Soccer Showcase at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Chargers got off to a flying start, Ben Sweat driving a shot into the top left corner of the net in the fourth minute after a strong run down the left from his full back position, and possessed the ball well to start off the game. The side’s lack of recent playing time showed at times, though, with passes going astray, allowing Jackson to find some opportunities to break into attack quickly.

“We played well in spurts,” Chargers coach Garth Pollonais said. “I didn’t think we put our game together completely the way I would have liked. We scored goals, we created chances, but I thought in the final third we could be a little more efficient in our play, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.”

Bruno da Silva scored the first of his two goals in the 25th minute, the beneficiary of some poor goalkeeping as after he cut in from the right, his shot from just outside the penalty area went underneath the dive of the Jackson goalkeeper. da Silva added his second goal of the game in the 64th minute, firing home at the far post after a low cross through the penalty area from the right reached him.

“As a team, I thought we were OK,” Pollonais said. “I thought Bruno did some good things up front, had two goals today and did some good things. Ben Sweat got the goal to start if off, I thought his goal really got us going.”

The Chargers under-16s also won their opener, playing up in the under-17 division, defeating the IPSC Force from Indiana 5-3 later on Sunday evening.

Hillsborough County United’s under-18s needed a late goal from Kahleel Forde to earn his side a draw against TLSC/Ayses SC from Texas. HCU likely should have come out the victor, with numerous chances missed after they fell behind to an early goal, but Coach Kelvin Jones was pleased his side was able to salvage a point.

“They scored in the first two minutes, and for the rest of the game we did all the playing,” Jones said. “We were inside the six a half a dozen times, and should have converted, so I think a draw is not what we deserve, but it’s better than nothing.”

Andrew Buckley had, in his own words, a frustrating day in front of net, missing opportunities you would ordinarily expect him to put away. Others were just as wasteful, but HCU gave itself a chance to advance from the group as a free kick by Kevin Sierra from the right of the penalty area was flicked in low by Forde from close range in the 88th minute.

Potomac Soccer sits on top of HCU’s group with a victory in its opening game, with the two sides facing each other on Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. A win would put HCU in good position to advance.

HCU’s under-17s also earned victory in their opening game as they defeated FSA Soccer Plus from Connecticut 3-1, but the under-15s weren’t as fortunate as they fell 2-1 the the Greensboro Dynamo.

In other action, Fusion Futbol Club’s boys under-17 team opened play with a 4-2 win against Mockingbird Valley from Kentucky. Strictly Soccer’s boys under-16 team won 1-0 against SYA Nova from Virginia, with its under-15s winning 2-0 against Charlotte United.

Elsewhere, Strictly Soccer’s boys under-18 team fell 2-1 to the Dallas Texans while both RSL Florida’s boys under-17s and under-16s fell 2-1, the under-17s to the GSA Phoenix and the under-16s to the Penn Fusion Celtic.

Youth: Locals named to ODP Interregional squads

Berkeley Prep and Clearwater Chargers standout Taylor Richardson has been named to the Region III Olympic Development Program 1992 squad for the Girls Winter Interregional tournament to be held in Ridgeland, Miss. From December 27-30.

The tournament sees the ODP teams from the four regions of the U.S. compete against each other in a round-robin format. Also selected was Ellis Curry of Fusion FC, who was named to the Region III Boys 1993 squad, which will compete as part of the Disney Soccer Showcase at the Wide World of Sports complex.

Elsewhere, recent U.S. under-17 call-up Tarik Salkicic from Strictly Soccer was named to the 1994 squad, where he was joined by Michael Bajza of Hillsborough County United and Raymundo Marquez of Fusion FC.

Youth: HCU, Strictly perform well at Raleigh Boys Showcase

Hillsborough County United’s boys under-17 team earned three wins in three games at the Raleigh Boys Showcase Soccer Series, while Strictly Soccer (2-0-1) and RSL Florida (1-1-1) also performed well at the showcase event.

The event, which is a major one for college recruiting with 28 divisions alone in the boys under-17 division, was disrupted on Sunday due to bad weather with some games being shortened in length. That didn’t appear to affect HCU, and Coach Eric Sims said while he thought the team struggled defensively at times in their opening game, a 3-2 win against North Meck Soccer Club from North Carolina, he was pleased with the was the team settled down and played in its final two games. He was happier, though, that his player’s performances had put them on the radar of a number of major college programs.

“We played very well at times,” Sims said. “Some players definitely stood out, and we were able to get them the exposure that they needed. That was really the point of coming, winning the three games was a bonus, but really we wanted to get the players exposure and I think they did that.”

Strictly Soccer earned a pair of victories, 4-2 against the Richmond (Va.) Strikers and 1-0 against the Albion (Tx.) Hurricanes, before a 0-0 tie against Central Jackson (Miss.) in its final game. Coach Hans Burt said the three games offered three very different types of opponent, something he thought would help better his side.

“It was a good weekend,” Burt said. “We scored four the first game, played wide open, the second game we struggled, played a lot of defense but executed a free kick for a goal, and then today’s game was very physical, so a little bit of everything.”

While the Under-17 event was purely a three-game showcase for each competing team, Strictly’s under-16s took victory in the Premier Questra Division, a 1-0 victory against Alpharetta on a goal by Thomas White giving Strictly the title.

The side was missing Tarik Salkicic, who had competed for the U.S. Under-17 team at the Nike friendlies in Phoenix last weekend, but Burt said he was very pleased with how the team had learned to play without their standout midfielder.

“They’ve played about 12 games without him,” Burt said. “Through the summer he had some issued with injuries, and regional stuff, and we’ve done well in good competition, but to come up here without Tarik and play national-level competition, and play the way we played was just phenomenal.”

RSL Florida's under-17s opened with a 1-0 win against Great Falls (Va.) before earning a 1-1 tie against the Augusta (Ga.) Arsenal and a final day defeat to the Potomac Cougars.

Youth: HCU closes Super-Y on solid note

LAND O’ LAKES – Hillsborough County United’s boys under-16 team capped pool play with a second straight victory to take second place in Pool B at the United Soccer League’s Super-Y North American Finals. HCU defeated Parsippany 2-0 on a pair of first half goals.

HCU took the lead midway through the first half as Nick Patterson scored his fourth goal in three games, flicking Daniel Barboto’s corner from the left at the near post and into the right corner of the net.

Parsippany almost answered from a free kick from 30 yards out, Hayden Harr’s curling shot going just over the crossbar, but HCU then added its second as Tevin Gage combined well with J.T. Thompson down the right, allowing Thompson to drive a low shot into the left corner of the net to make the score 2-0.

“We’ve kind of sent J.T. back to right back, and he gives a presence going forward,” HCU coach Eric Sims said. “When you can play a player like Tevin and J.T. on the same side, you know it’s a dangerous combination. Those guys work well together, and they’ve very good 1-on-1 and getting down the flank, and that’s what we try to do, get people isolated on the outside and let those guys do what they’re good at.”

HCU goalkeeper Brian Paulluck had to make a pair of good saves to keep Parsippany off the scoreboard as Dan Maldonado had his close-range header saved and Mauricio Gomez was denied when he was put in on the left. HCU’s Jordan See also had a chance to extend his side’s lead as he broke on a long run, only to put his shot wide.

HCU will play in both the Raleigh Showcase and Disney Showcase in December, and Sims said he hoped the team learned some things they can carry forward to those tournaments this weekend.

“We look forward to that,” Sims said. “We definitely want to get our players good exposure, but we want to do well as a collective unit, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Youth: HCU bounces back, but cannot advance

LAND O’ LAKES – Nick Patterson scored in the second minute to give Hillsborough County United’s boys under-16 team a 1-0 victory against Super Nova FC from Harrisburg, Pa., but Coastal WFC’s victory over Parsippany in the other group game means that HCU cannot advance to Monday’s semifinals of the United Soccer League's Super-Y North American Finals.

It was, however, a far better performance from HCU, who took the lead when Patterson took one touch to control a centering pass from the right by Chase Goodwin at the top of the penalty area, and then fired home a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net.

HCU almost immediately gave up their lead when goalkeeper Brian Paullack was caught in possession by Nova’s Cody Hess, but HCU was able to clear the danger, and Paullack more than made up for his mistake with an excellent diving stop to turn a shot from Nova’s Connor McAliney just around his right post.

As the game wore on, though, HCU controlled the tempo and possession far better than it had in its opening defeat to Coastal, Tyler Hartlage proving critical in the midfield, and almost doubling HCU’s lead just before halftime when his shot went just over the crossbar after a good run from midfield.

In warm conditions, Nova’s players gradually wore down in the second half, a chance by McAliney that was denied by Paullack their best chance to get back on level terms. HCU’s Tevin Gage also had a chance well saved, but as the game wore on HCU took control as it wore out Nova’s players with good ball control and passing through the defense and midfield.

“I think they got the jitters out yesterday, (today we) just relaxed and played,” HCU coach Eric Sims said. “We played like we should have played yesterday. Yesterday I think we played scared to lose instead of trying to win, today we played a much better game, possessed the ball, much more to our style. We did a good job today.”

HCU could tied Coastal with six points were it to defeat Parsippany, and Super Nova defeat Coastal, but Coastal would still advance thanks to their victory over HCU in the opening game of the tournament on Friday.

Youth: HCU loses lead, game in Super-Y Finals opener

LAND O’ LAKES – Hillsborough County United's boys under-16 side couldn’t hold a two-goal halftime lead, and saw their hopes for a title take a serious hit as they fell 3-2 to Coastal WFC from Vancouver, Canada in their opening game of the United Soccer League’s Super-Y North American Finals at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center on Friday.

HCU had taken the lead into the break with a pair of goals four minutes apart by Nick Patterson. Patterson, who had earlier hit the crossbar, opened the scoring in the 36th minute as he beat his defender in a challenge on the left side of the penalty area after a through-ball by Jake Peterson, and shot home into the right corner of the net.

Peterson almost added a second a minute later, stealing possession from a defender, but his shot went over the cross bar. He made up for that miss right before halftime, though, firing home from the edge of the penalty area after losing his marker on another long through-ball from the HCU midfield.

Despite being up 2-0, HCU coach Eric Sims was not happy with the way his side was playing, giving away possession cheaply in midfield, failing to control possession in an effort to make Coastal work harder to chase the ball and win possession back. Coastal made HCU pay for that slackness early in the second half, as Coastal picked up the ball in midfield on a giveaway, and quickly went on the attack. Isaac Jacobson’s run from midfield beat the offside trap, and he finished well to make the score 2-1.

After Patterson had seen a tame free kick easily saved as he tried to restore HCU’s two-goal advantage, Coastal struck again in the 55th minute, Caleb Clarke starting and finishing a well-worked move to make the score 2-2.

HCU goalkeeper John Nardozzi did well to deny Coastal twice as it threatened to take the lead, saving from Clarke and Declan Rodriguez, but he was unable to deny Isaacson his second in the 78th minute as Isaacson knifed through the HCU defense to finish left-footed.

Isaacson said the high pressure his side applied in the second half was important to turning the game around.

“Throughout the season we’ve been a high-scoring team, and the more we press, the more we score,” Isaacson said. “We’re not a very selfish team, we like to create each other goals, and that’s how we scored all our goals today, not in 1-on-1 battles.”

Sims said he felt this was the most important game for HCU in the opening round, and acknowledged that his side would need a break or two to go his side’s way if they were to advance, but he expected his side to give their all in their remaining two pool play games.

“I told them at the beginning that I thought this was the game that we needed to win,” Sims said. ”If we wanted to win the tournament, we needed to win this game. I don’t really know much about the other teams, but I don’t imagine that they’re going to beat that team, but you never know, soccer’s a funny game, so we’ll come out tomorrow and try to put together a win.”

Youth: Experience crucial for HCU under-16s at Super-Y

Hillsborough County United's boys under-16s will try for a third time to win a United Soccer League Super-Y North American Finals title when they open play Friday at the Land O' Lakes Recreation Center against the Coastal WFC from Vancouver, Canada.

HCU was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals last season, and had reached the final as an under-13 squad. HCU coach Eric Sims is hoping experience will pay off for his side.

"These guys have been in this tournament before, have experienced playing in matches like this, so you would think that experience would help them," Sims said. "I've seen them mature, definitely, especially from a work-rate standpoint, they just see the value of working hard and playing as hard as they can while they're playing. I think with them being in the tournament in years past, and getting to extended play, will hopefully give them experience to do well this year."

HCU is led going forward by Nick Patterson and Kofi Forkuoh, who combined to score 19 of the side's 39 goals during the Southeast Division season. The side is also strong defensively, with goalkeeper John Nardozzi and defenders Josh Santos and Charlie Delmar. The most important thing, though, is going to be getting off to a good start in the opening game against a Coastal team that dominated its division, winning 11 of 12 games, while only allowing six goals.

"You definitely want to start off by getting three points," Sims said. "If you don't do that, only getting a point or getting no points in the first game, you put yourself in a big hole where you don't control your own destiny. If you come in and get three points in that opening game, it's a good start, and it's a good confidence booster, but you also control what your team does."

Youth: Gage gives RSL Disney Qualifier title

LAKE BUENA VISTA – RSL Florida’s boys under-17 team got an overtime goal from Tevin Gage to win its division at the Disney Soccer Showcase Qualifier with a 1-0 win against the Jamestown Jammers from South Carolina on Monday afternoon.

“He’s been knocking on the doorstep for the past couple of months,” RSL coach Alex Delgado said. “He came through in the semis with a big goal, and then a brilliant play in today’s game. (He’s a ) big-time player.”

RSL had defeated Hillsborough County United 3-1 in the semifinals, Gage, Robert Menke and Xander Rados scoring for RSL and J.T. Thompson answering for HCU. Delgado was pleased with the resilience his side showed as it won four out of its five games over the weekend.

“They came out and performed all weekend,” Delgado said. “Five games and five good results against some very good opposition. That’s a tribute to our county, we had three teams from Hillsborough County in the semifinals.”

HCU coach Eric Sims was disappointed not to reach the qualifier final, and gain automatic entry into the full showcase in December, but believes that his sides past performance will allow it to gain a berth for the holiday-time event.

“For us winning last year, and being in the (qualifier) final four this year, I’d be kind of surprised if we didn’t get in,” Sims said. “But it’s not up to us, so if we get in great, if we don’t, we’ll go play somewhere else.”

Fusion FC was the third team to reach the under-17 division semifinals, but there it lost in overtime to Jamestown 3-2. Alex Stickley and Nathan Tellez scored the goals for Fusion.

“It’s tough, but we win as a team, lose as a team,” Fusion coach Roland Moldovan said. “It was one of those days, we dominated the game, they had three chances and scored three goals.”

RSL Florida's under-16 team wasn't as fortunate as its under-17 counterparts, as it fell 1-0 after overtime against the Jacksonville Fury.

Jacksonville scored the only goal of the game in the seventh minute of overtime, Sebastian Hardington converting from the penalty spot after Dimitri Minick had been fouled in the penalty area.

"They looked a bit fresher, played us a bit more physically, won the challenges a bit more," RSL coach Steve Wolf said. "Unfortunately we made a mental mistake and we gave up the penalty kick, and that can't happen at this level, it did, and they capitalized with the PK."

HCU did have three teams reach finals in the boys under-18, under-15 and under-14 divisions, gaining entry into the full showcase, but all three lost in their respective finals, HCU’s under-14’s falling to a West Pines squad that contained multiple U.S. under-14 national program players.

HCU’s under-18s fell behind early to Kendall, and gave up another two goals in the second half in a 3-0 defeat. Coach Kelvin Jones, though, was pleased with his team’s effort, and thought they just ran out of gas in the final.

“We achieved our goal, which was to get to the showcase,” Jones said. “We just ran out of gas. Certainly they were a good team, and they played well, but we just couldn’t get out of second gear.”

HCU’s under-15s went behind early, but goals either side of half time by Mack Rocha and Mike Bajza gave it a 2-1 lead against Team Boca five minutes into the second half. HCU was unable to hold its advantage, though, as Aryeh Ibrahimi tied the game after a quick free kick with 11 minutes to go, and Nico Ospina fired a 30-yard shot into the top right corner of the net to give Boca victory.

“They made fewer mistakes than we did,” HCU coach Scott Moniz said. “Both teams were tired, and there were a couple of dead balls we should have done better on, and there’s the difference in your game.”

Strictly Soccer’s boys under-18, under-16 and under-15 teams also reached the semifinals, but all three fell in regulation. Under-18 Coach Virgil Stevens said despite falling short of automatic qualification, the weekend had been a good one for his team.

“We had a great weekend,” Stevens said. “We played Brevard County, Omni and (Lee County), who are all at the top of the state, so we had three very tough games, and our kids held up well. If I could get five minutes back (from the semifinal), it might have been a different outcome.”