All five ECNL teams kicked off their 2014 season at home this past weekend. On Saturday, the Lions won all five games for the first time in Orlando City history. Following Saturday’s unbeaten streak, the teams produced a 3-1-1 overall record against a very strong Charlotte Soccer Academy.
The U14s opened their weekend fixtures with a 1-0 win on Saturday against the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy. On Sunday, City continued their winning ways, defeating one of the top teams in the Southeast, Charlotte Soccer Academy, 4-0. Madison Lemery guided the U14s to victory in both games, scoring three goals.
On Saturday, the U15s also played against the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, winning 3-1. On the following day, the girls lost to the Charlotte Soccer Academy 5-2. Centerback JJ Bryant was a standout player over the weekend. Unfortunately she sustained an injury in the Charlotte match, which hurt the Lions’ backline at a critical moment in the game.
The U16s came out victorious in their first game, winning 3-1 against Carolina. On Sunday, the team tied with Charlotte 1-1. Kaley Verpaele was a dominant force, scoring two goals over the weekend. “It was a good start and the girls played some great soccer this weekend. It was disappointing to concede in the last minute having been the better team. We should have taken 6 points” Said Coach Haig.
The U17s won both of their games against Carolina and Charlotte 2-1. Payton Hamilton helped her team come out on top with two game-winning goals during the weekend.
On Saturday, the U18s topped Carolina 3-2. The girls were successful with the help of teammate Emily Stearns, who had three assists and one goal over the weekend, leading to a 2-1 win over Charlotte on Sunday.
When discussing the games from this past weekend, ECNL Director Alan Hough had nothing but positive words about the girls, “Congratulations to all the players and staff, we’ve been training hard and preparing for the last eight weeks leading up to these games. For us to start the season going 8-1-1 is a great testament to how hard everybody has been working. I think as we continue to go through the season and play more games at this level, we’re only going to get better and stronger. We’re excited about what the season could look like for our program.”
