It was a fait accompli that Region 5, which encompasses much of the state of Pennsylvania, would add another gold medal to its U-16 ledger since the National Futures Tournament moved from the University of Maryland to the National Training Center at Virginia Beach in 2002.
The question remained which team it would be. In a U-16 pool of enormously talented players who have put up all sorts of amazing numbers for their scholastic teams, it was Alley Evans who scored in the first seconds of the second half to give Kutztown a 1-0 win over West Chester.
Evans, who enters the second half of her scholastic career with 57 goals for Emmaus (Pa.), slotted home a through ball in the opening seconds of the second half of the gold-medal match.
West Chester, however, poured on the pressure, especially in the last six minutes of regulation when head coach Jun Kentwell pulled her goalkeeper for an 11th field player. The midfield was effectively barricated, and West Chester had a couple of chances to win late. However, the Kutztown defense, led by Plymouth Wyoming Valley West (Pa.) product Kelcie Hromisin, kept West Chester off the board.
“For her first time playing defense,” said Kutztown coach Clarence Jennelle, “she was awesome. She was like a ratdog terrier out there. She may have gotten beat five times all tournament, and every time she was beat, within two to three steps she had caught up and made the tackle.”
The rest of the defense, including Melissa Ramsey, AshLeigh Sebia, Laura Gebhart, and Cassidy Arner, were extremely stout as well. And when the ball did get through, Lower Dauphin product Samantha Zeiders stuffed the late pressure.
West Chester had its chances to score throughout regulation, but the best shots of Lauren Bernardi and Madison Harding couldn’t find the back of the cage.
West Chester 0-0–0
Kutztown 0-1–1
K: Alley Evans, fg, 26th minute
Shots– WC: 3; K: 5. Saves– WC: Haley Mitchell 1, Samatha Carlino 1, defensive 2; K: Rachel Leszkowicz 1, Samantha Zeiders 2.
In the U-19 Regional Rumble, The Blast, a determined team of Kentuckians, plus players from Virginia, Missouri, and Michigan, defeated Chaos, an undefeated Pennsylvania/North Carolina team by a 1-0 score.
The lone goal of the final was scored midway in the first term by Erin Schneidtmiller, but that wasn’t the only memorable aspect of Blast’s experience at Rumble.
Blast featured a number of players from the deep South, including Sara Morrison from Louisville Sacred Heart (Ky.), the TopOfTheCountry trophy winners from 2008. It was also to feature Amanda Vance, but her family got involved in an auto accident on the way to the competition. The family gallantly made it to the site of competition, but Vance broke a bone in the crash and was not cleared to play.
“She came and cheered us on the sidelines, and she also provided us with a perspective from the sidelines,” Schneidmiller said.
The Blast also featured midfielder Elle VanConia, who played field hockey last fall at Webster Groves (Mo.), but her family moved to the state capitol of Jefferson City, where the sport is not in any high school.
