Youth: Flames move into second after victory against Space Coast

SAINT LEO – The Brandon Flames girls under-15’s got a first half goal by Kourtney Rea, and another after the break by Nicole Naclerio to earn a 2-0 victory against Space Coast and move into second place in the Region III Premier League on Saturday afternoon at Saint Leo’s University Field.

The Flames dominated possession throughout the game, weathering the oppressive heat with good ball movement that had Space Coast chasing for possession. Taylor Decaire had an opportunity saved in the ninth minute, and Rea put a rebound into the side-netting in the 17th minute after a shot by Nacleiro was spilled.

The Flames finally took the lead in the 32nd minute. After Shea Rhoney won possession on the right, her pass found Decaire inside the penalty area, and Decaire fired a low ball across the six-yard box for Rea to finish from close range.

“It felt really good to get that first goal,” Flames midfielder Jackie Simpson said. “It calmed us down a lot. When we get a goal, it’s like a sigh of relief.”

Simpson was excellent in the center of midfield, winning possession and holding Space Coast’s Jackie Stengel in check. She was aided in that by center back Amber Coca, who continually read the game well and came up with key interceptions to prevent Space Coast from attacking cohesively and limiting the number of shots goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby had to face.

“They’re two special players,” Flames coach Randy Belli said of Simpson and Coca. “Amber Coca herself is not a fast player. If you put her on the line with any other player on the team, she’s probably going to lose, but she reads the game on a different level. She’s a very intelligent player, she’s always in good position.

“Jackie is probably the best one-on-one defender I’ve ever coached, including the college level. I think her ability to track players back and win balls off them even though they’re in front of her, I’ve never seen anybody like that, so those two have listened, gotten better and improved, and their thought process is just on a different level.”

That was evident in the second half, as the Flames either held possession or didn’t allow Space Coast much opportunity to break out of their own half. Having been told to try to shoot more from distance, the Flames finally added a second goal two minutes from full time as Naclerio took a quick free kick from Aubrey Riggins 25 yards out and blistered a shot in off the underside of the crossbar. The goal was Naclerio’s first in the 11-game league season.

Second place in the league doesn’t automatically advance the Flames to the Southern Regionals in Baton Rouge, La. next summer, but they would be eligible for the berth if two things went their way. First, league champion the CASL Spartan Elite from North Carolina would need to win their state title, and the GSA Phoenix, who could tie the Flames with 23 points, tie or lose one of their remaining three games to leave the Flames alone in second place.

The Flames, of course, could also reach regionals by winning the Florida State Cup in the spring. Naclerio joined the team recently, and said that since she had been with the Flames the goal had been to reach the regional tournament.

“I know everyone on this team has worked hard at every practice because we just want to go to Southern Regionals,” Naclerio said.

Youth: RSL picks up point against Jacksonville in Premier League

RSL Florida’s boys under-16 team remained undefeated in the Region III Premier League, but couldn’t find a way past the Jacksonville Fury as the teams played to a 0-0 draw over the weekend.

“First half, we were pretty sluggish,” RSL coach Steve Wolf said. “They caught us in a couple of bad situations.”

Due to the heavy rain across the bay area last week, the squad had been unable to train properly, and Wolf thought that led to the team being out of sorts to open the game. As it progressed, though, RSL managed to establish itself, coming close to taking the lead in the second half on a shot that came back off the crossbar.

Jacksonville also had a player ejected with 15 minutes to play, but RSL wasn’t able to take advantage.

“We put more pressure on them, we hit the crossbar, but we couldn’t capitalize on that,” Wolf said. “But it was a good match.”

Despite the two sides being the Florida representatives in the league, Wolf said neither side was that familiar with the other, having last played before he became coach of the team.

“The boys said they hadn’t played them since they were U-13, U-14,” Wolf said. “We really didn’t know much about each other.”

RSL will travel to the Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista this weekend to compete in the Disney Soccer Showcase Qualifier. RSL has been grouped with the Wellington Wave, Florida Rush and Norcross (Ga.) Gold in its group, opening play on Saturday morning against Wellington.

Ordinarily, the winner and runner-up of the qualifier gain a berth in the Disney Soccer Showcase that begins in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“That’s a huge tournament for these kids,” Wolf said. “Hopefully we’re prepared, and they show enough desire and the mentality is right to get the job done.”

Youth: Flames split on Premier League opening weekend

Despite rain and lightning causing disruptions to their schedule, the Brandon Flames girls’ under-15 team split a pair of games in the opening weekend of the Region III Premier League.

The weather in Savannah, Ga. caused the postponement of the Flames’ opener against the Cape Fear Wave on Friday night, making the Flames play a pair of games on Saturday. The disruption didn't seem to affect the squad, though as Brandon controlled the bulk of the game in a 3-1 victory against the Wave.

“We really knocked the ball around them and dominated the possession,” Flames coach Randy Belli said. “They scored late after it was already 3-0, and the game was never really in doubt. The girls really did well, knocked the ball around and played well.”

The Flames were unable to complete the weekend sweep, though, as a pair of late goals gave the CASL Spartan Elite a 2-0 victory. One of the elite clubs in the country, CASL reached the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship game over the summer as the Region III champions, and is currently ranked No.5 in the nation in the under-15 division.

Belli said that he was pleased with the way his side competed, and continued to try to play its game despite the pressure CASL put it under, but was highly impressed with CASL’s quality.

“That team is a class team,” Belli said. “They pressure well, they’re well organized, they put you under so much pressure, they really dictate the pace of the game, and how the game is going to be. I’ve got to give them credit, they were better than us, no doubt about it.”

Belli said that games like the loss to CASL were the reason why he thought competing in the Premier League was going to be beneficial to his squad.

“The best thing for me, and the girls all realize that this is how you get better,” Belli said. “You play the best teams in the country. If we sat around and playing in the local leagues and smacked people around the way we’ve been doing, it wouldn’t make these players any better.

“I don’t like to drive to Savannah, we didn’t get in ‘til 1 a.m. and the girls have school today, but they realize that they’ve committed to being better players, and this is what it takes, to play the best competition.”

Youth: Flames eager for Region III Premier League

BRANDON - In a competition like the U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Premier League, it’s hard enough to compete when you have a full complement of players.

When you’re short-handed, it makes things a bit more difficult. But that’s the situation the Brandon Flames girls’ under-14 side found itself in over the spring, as it competed in the tournament for the first time.

Now, as an under-15 team, the squad has reinforcements as it begins the new season this Saturday against the Cape Fear Wave from North Carolina. After finishing seventh due to tiebreakers, four different teams ended on 17 points, the Flames are looking to make a strong run this time around.

“I think the team expects to do well again,” Aubrey Riggins said. “We played most of the season with nine or 10 players, and we’ve picked up a lot of new really good players, and we hope to have a really good season.”

Flames coach Randy Belli has been impressed by the dedication the side has shown over the summer, adding he thought getting a feel for what premier league competition held gave them added motivation.

“We’ve had a good summer, the girls have been working hard and have come in fit,” Belli said. “They’re serious players, they come in on their own and they know what it takes to play. Having a taste of the region premier league last year, they know what it takes to be competitive in that league, sitting around for the summer is not an option for them.”

The Flames qualified for the competition by reached the State Cup final, where it lost 1-0 to Ponte Vedra. That loss left the squad hungry to achieve more this season.

“It was very disappointing,” Kalynne Heyer said, “but it kept our heads up for this year to come out stronger and not worry about what happened previously. Just let that be part of the past.”

While the side has the opportunity to qualify for next year’s Southern Regional tournament with a top-two finish in the league, Belli said he is more concerned with making sure the side continues to develop and be challenged.

“I think for the girls, it’s exciting,” Belli said. “For me, I think what we draw from it is the competition is what helps the kids develop, and in the end all I care about is how good they are when they are 17, 18 and can go to college. We’ve just happened to win a lot of games now, but we never emphasize winning, it’s all about developing so they’re the best player at 17, 18.”

Youth: RSL opens with Region III PL win

RSL Florida's boys under-16 squad fought off a flu bug, and the FVAA Flash Red from North Carolina to earn a 1-0 victory in its opening game of the Region III Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Jarrett Link scored the only goal of the game late in the second half, after having entered the game with 15 minutes to go.

RSL coach Steve Wolf said the game was a pretty choppy one, but he was pleased with the effort the team put forth.

"The team spirit and the fight [was good]," Wolf said. "It's not the most fluid at this time because we're playing a lotof different ways, and a lot of different people, and we're looking at a lot of different people so, today's win, we just buckled down, had good team spirit. Everyone contributed."

The league format generally calls for games in a central location on back-to-back days, and RSL will face the CSA Predators on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. before heading back to Tampa. Wolf said early kickoffs can be a difficult proposition, and being ready to play from the opening whistle will be imperative.

"They're brutal," Wolf said. "How does the body function that early? That's going to be the key, getting a good warm-up in, and going on from there."

Youth: RSL Under-15's earn draw, close in on Super-Y Championships

RSL Florida’ boys under-15 team stayed on course to earn its place at the United Soccer League’s Super-Y North American Finals after a 2-2 tie against the Florida Soccer Alliance on Wednesday evening.

With a roster depleted by a flu bug going around the team, RSL only suited up 13 players, and fell behind before Michael Ciluffo tied the game. Travis Jehs then gave RSL the lead with 10 minutes to go, but a late defensive error allowed FSA to earn a point.

“It was a pretty tough game for the guys,” Coach Mo Loregnard said.

RSL currently sits in third place in Pool A of the Southeast division, but needs just a win and a draw from its final four games to win the pool and advance to the championships, which will be held in Tampa beginning on November 19.

FSA and the Florida Rush are currently tied for the group lead, three points clear of RSL, but both sides have completed their schedules.

RSL heads to North Carolina this weekend to open its Region III Premier League season. One of only two bay area teams to qualify for the league, the Brandon Flames girls under-15 side being the other, Loregnard said he is looking forward to the elite competition.

“All of the teams that participate in it are either State Cup winners or runners-up,” Loregnard said. “It’s top quality competition.”