Force Takes Charge of Group B

W-20 Feature

Friday, July 26, 2013

BRADENTON, Fla. – Force Football Club Academy moved to the top of Group B at the 2013 W-20 Championship presented by Nike after a 4-0 defeat of the Fredericksburg Impact at IMG Academy. Force (2-0-0) will face Lake Norman SC in the final group game on Saturday, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final.

Force FC played a strong possession game Friday, with Fredericksburg trying to strike quickly on the counterattack. It almost paid off early as Molly Siner hit a volley from the top of the box in the third minute that traveled just wide of the post.

Force had the two best chances of the early first half, with Kyla Kellermann knocking a shot off the crossbar in the 14th minute and Irene Young breaking in alone on goal in the 20th minute, only to have her shot stopped by charging Impact keeper Jesse McGinley.

Force’s Lexie Niedoba thought she had finally broken the stalemate in the 40th minute when she beat McGinley with a 30-yard drive, but the crossbar saved the day again for the Impact and the game was scoreless at the half.

Force finally found the breakthrough 10 minutes into the second half when Nicole Greenhalgh buried a shot from the top of the box off a feed from Irene Young to make it 1-0. Force began to take more possession following the goal and wear down the Impact defense, and it paid off in the 69th minute when Kelly Sweeney set up Kellermann, who turned past a defender and buried a shot inside the far post.

Kellermann set up Delia Soucie to make it 3-0 in the 74th minute, and Jennifer Borawski finished the scoring in the 80th minute off a pass from Joan Sieja.

“We just had to stay patient and keep our heads held high because we were getting in but that final pass was letting us down,” Force Head Coach Kevin Garner said. “We talked about being patient at halftime and eventually the goals will come, and they did.

“Eight goals in two games is pretty impressive, so we’re excited, we just have to keep the legs fresh and hopefully keep going.”

Lake Norman SC 2, Ottawa Fury 1

Lake Norman SC kept its hopes of advancing to Sunday’s W-20 Championship final alive as it rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Ottawa Fury in a crossover group game. Camryn Couch and Amber Watkins both scored after the break, leaving Lake Norman needing victory against Force Football Club in its final game to move on.

Lake Norman had the first good chance of the game in the eighth minute as Christine Rolfes found space down the right flank, and her cross was headed on target by Amanda Karlsson, only for the goalkeeper to save. Ottawa came close to taking the lead in the 13th minute as Kayla Adamek ran onto a good through ball, only to chip her finish past the advancing goalkeeper just high and wide of the top-right corner.

Adamek gave the Fury the lead three minutes later on a similar opportunity, however, as a well-weighted through-ball by Alessia Panuccio found Adamek breaking toward goal, and the forward made no mistake the second time around, sending her finish into the top-right corner of the net. The game then became a midfield battle for much of the remainder of the half as Lake Norman tried to play passes in behind the Fury’s high defensive line, but often they were too straight and easily claimed by the Fury goalkeeper.

Lake Norman pressed higher up the field to start the second half, and was able to take control of the game as a result as Ottawa struggled to clear its lines. Couch had the first good chance in the 51st minute, only to shoot wide of the left post after breaking into the right side of the penalty area. Karlsson also went close in the 59th minute after a good run down the right side took her past her defender, only for her left footed shot to be easily saved. Karlsson set up Couch for the equalizer three minutes later, though, as Couch held off her defender well and shot low into the left corner.

Ottawa had chances on the counterattack, but for the most part Lake Norman carried much of the play, and almost took the lead in the 73rd minute as Rolfes turned her marker well, only to shoot wide of the net. Six minutes later Lake Norman grabbed what would prove to be the game-winner, however, as Watkins rose in a crowd to head home an angled free kick by Karlsson from the right.


Kalamazoo Kingdom 2, Carolina Elite Cobras 0

Kalamazoo Kingdom 2, Carolina Elite Cobras 0

The Kalamazoo Kingdom kept to their winning ways on Friday, scoring on either side of the halftime whistle and shutting out the Carolina Elite Cobras in their second match of group play. With the win, the Kingdom captured Group A and reserved their place at the tournament finals on Sunday.

The first goal of the match came in the 25^th minute and was scored by Kalamazoo’s Gabrielle Russo. Amidst a scramble in the box, Russo was able to collect and fire in an effort on goal. The shot took a devastating deflection in the crowded area, and the Carolina keeper had no time to react and could only watch the ball fly in to make it 1-0.

After the interval, Kalamazoo continued to press. It made the breakthrough in the 60^th minute when after a series of half chances Jordyn Ryfiak manufactured some space for herself at the top of the box. Her shot on goal was nearly saved, but it trickled into the back of the net to make it 2-0 in Kalamazoo’s favor.

The last real chance of the game fell for Carolina. In the 73^rd minute Haley Dunham rifled a shot toward goal from distance. The ball pegged the post and the resulting rebound was turned away. The final whistle blew with the 2-0 final score line.

“The second game can often be the hardest in a tournament like this, “ Kingdom Head Coach Lewis Robinson said. “We did enough to get the win. This makes for two wins in two games so we are very happy with it.”