Vancouver Whitecaps affiliates Coastal WFC and Mountain WFC opened the USL Super Y-League North American Finals in Florida with some solid results on Day One. The six affiliate teams claimed three victories, a draw, and two defeats to begin their campaign, with Mountain WFC U-16 Boys leading the way with a convincing 6-0 drubbing of Cleveland Academy. Other winners on Friday included Mountain WFC U-14 Boys claiming a 2-0 win over Penns Forest and Coastal WFC U-16 Girls edging a 3-2 thriller over Northern Virginia with a last-minute goal.Coastal WFC U-13 Boys showed character in overturning a two-goal deficit and drawing 2-2 with Kalamazoo Kingdom. Coastal WFC U-15 Boys opened the day on the wrong side of 4-1 result with Sunrise SC, despite a strong second half of pressure. Finally, Mountain WFC U-15 Girls were in tough against Washington Freedom and only a late first-half marker by Washington was the difference in a 1-0 defeat.On Saturday, both Coastal WFC and Mountain WFC are back in action for Day Two of the Finals, with six more games on tap. Day One match recaps are listed below.
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Coastal WFC U-15 Boys 1 vs Sunrise SC 4
A tentative start best describes Coastal’s first game at the USL Finals. Their Sunrise SC counterparts were first to the mark midway through the first half. Coastal soon found their feet, and in the 39th minute, Joey Audia got on the end of a cross to level the score. In the second half, Coastal put lots of pressure on the Sunrise defense, but were unable to convert on their chances. Sunrise found the goal on a free kick, and then went on to concede two more for a 4-1 final.
Mountain WFC U-16 Boys 6 vs Cleveland Academy 0
In a show of force, Mountain flexed their muscles early and often, as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead at halftime. It was a good opening performance by the U-16 Boys, who showed they will be a team to contend with in the division. Goalscorers for Mountain were Joseph Martin, Dustin Wallington, Thomas Mallette (pictured), Jesse Gray, and Adam Walker with a pair.
Coastal WFC U-13 Boys 2 vs Kalamazoo Kingdom 2
Coastal dug themselves a huge hole after going 2-0 down after just two minutes in their first game against Kalamazoo. Credit to the team, however, as they soon came to grips with the game and started finding their legs in what was a frenetic and physical contest. From a long throw-in, Tanner Wright latched onto a loose ball and squared it across the goal to Bryan Fong, who stepped up and fired home from ten yards. It was obvious from the start of the second half that the challenge had been taken to heart and the ball rarely left the Kingdom's half. The equalizer came from another long throw that Ryan Shaw got to first with his toe before delicately arching the ball over the Kalamazoo goalkeeper and into the goal to make it 2-2.
Mountain WFC U-14 Boys 2 vs Penns Forest 0
Mountain WFC opened their campaign in impressive fashion with good ball possession and attacking flair. Devin Phelan led the attack, assisting Avin Sidhu early in the game, and then scoring the second himself. Good defensive work by Dalvir Sanghera, Daniel Gazzola, Fahim Kamali and Marcin Kostecki (replaced by Jordan Coblin) led to a debut shutout for goalkeeper Brando Ciccone. Player of the game was birthday boy Devin Phelan with a classic performance of running the midfield with partner Amar Mander. Other players of note included Raaqim Amijee playing on the right side who created havoc for the opposition with his scintillating runs at goal and down the line.
Mountain WFC U-16 Girls 3 vs Northern Virginia 2
It was a slow start for Mountain WFC as they fell behind two goals in the first five minutes. However, credit to Mountain as they regained their composure and came close to equalizing hitting the post twice. Mountain WFC got on the board early in the second half when a low hard drive from Marti Dumas created a rebound for Elisa Fox to convert. Marti Dumas then tied the score with a shot to the far left corner. Just moments before the final whistle Krigi Marti connected on a long shot for the dramatic winner.
Mountain WFC U-15 Girls 0 vs Washington Freedom 1
The Freedom opened play with crisp ball control and confidence, while Mountain seemed to struggle with opening day nerves. As a result, the better of the chances fell to Washington in the first half, capitalizing right before the break for a 1-0 lead. Second-half formation changes produced several scoring opportunities for Mountain. A free kick from outside the box was well taken by Kate Kirkpatrick, as her set-piece beat the Freedom goalkeeper, but not the crossbar.
