U14 GIRLS REACH SUPER Y-LEAGUE NORTH AMERICAN SEMIFINAL
Marks Two Consecutive Years With At Least One Kendall SC Team in Semifinal Round
 November 20, 2007 - After a disappointing showing in last year's Super Y-League North American Finals, Kendall SC's U14 Girls headed to Tampa for this year's Finals with high expectations. They didn't dissapoint in what is considered one of the country's highest level competitions to cap off the Super Y-League season.
In the first game of the preliminary round, Kendall SC met up with Cal Cougars in an east-meets-west showdown, and started strong off the gate with an offensive barrage. A great game from Scarlet Montoya and Jasmine Patterson at forwards, Nicole Zamora and Barbara Murillo in midfield, and Alexia Clark and captain Katrina Seidenthal in defense, produced five goals en route to a 5-3 victory.
In the second game, Kendall SC met last year's nemesis New Jersey Stallions in another epic battle. With the game going back and forth, the Stallions struck first to take the lead. Jasmine Patterson evened the score, but in the end New Jersey pulled off the win 2-0 en route to their eventual finals berth.
In the third game against Illinois' Penns Forest, Nicole Zamora took over and scored two beautiful goals. Outstanding play from Alex Fiore and Cerene Arsenault solidified the midfield and the defense held tight once again with Seidenthal directing. Kelley Struyf made some key saves to secure the 2-1 decision, propelling Kendall SC into the semifinal against powerhouse Santa Clarita SC (CA), who had until then won all their games and without allowing a single goal.
Kendall SC played valiantly against a Santa Clarita side that played flawlessly and demonstrated the class of a national champion. Santa Clarita capitalized on some defensive miscues and to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the second half. The second half saw Kendall SC come out determined to make the game a challenge, and this they did, producing many scoring opportunities but coming up short. Vanessa Angel the back-up keeper and the defense held tight to not allow another goal, but conceding the victory to Santa Clarita the eventual champion in the U14 girls age group.
Congratulations to all of Marcelo Valdivia's U14 girls, including Jessica Clark, Dasha Munoz, Heather Williams, Jenny Chaparro, Helenna Hercegonja, and Laura Piedrahita who played very well throughout the tournament.
U17 Boys
Had they not drawn eventual North American Champions, Chicago Magic, as their first opponent, the U17 boys may have written history differently in this year's Finals, but their opening 1-4 loss resulted in the only blemish on their record and made it an uphill battle to qualify for the semifinal round.
After that initial dissapointment, Kendall SC bounced back with wins over New Hamshire's Seacoast United (2-0) and Northern Virginia Royals (4-2) to finish second in their group. They wrapped up play with a 2-2 tie versus TSF Academy (NJ) in the consolation round. The result was certainly not what they had hoped for, but altogether a solid performance that held the club's name on high.
U16 Boys
After reaching last year's semifinal round, the U16 Boys had high expectations for this year's Finals. Unfortunately, an untimely scoring drought produced only one goal in three preliminary round matches that could not be overcome with what proved to be a stout defensive effort. A first match 0-0 tie against eventual group winner RSL Arizona left them in contention, but consecutive one-goal losses to California's San Juan SC (1-2) and New Jersey's Player Development Academy (0-1) left them on the outside looking in. Kendall SC concluded the tournament with a 2-2 tie versus Ottawa Fury in the consolation round.
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