U12G BLUE CROWNED GREEN CHAMPIONS AT ORANGE CLASSIC
U17G White Also Reach Semifinals in White II Flight
January 2, 2008 – Kendall SC’s U12G Blue captured their first tournament title ever, emerging undefeated after five matches in the Green flight at the Orange Classic Tournament, one of Florida’s premier girls soccer tournaments. Following up on their heels were the U18G White who reached the semifinals of the U19 White II group in what was the last Orange Classic appearance for many of the team’s members. That made it two out of four Kendall SC teams reaching at least the semifinal round in their brackets.
U12 Girls
After tying Orlando’s FSA Krush Academy Blue 0-0 in their first match, the Kendall SC’s U12G Blue never looked back. Key defensive plays by Isamar Duran and McKenzie Van-Heussen kept a storming Krush away from the goal to preserve the tie and earn a point. They then went on to score wins over Miami Premier Soccer (3-2) and Jupiter Sting (3-1) to finish atop their group in the preliminary round.
 In the second match, Miami Premier held a comfortable 2-0 lead at the half, but a strong and determined Kendall SC team turned the game around with outstanding performances by Natalie Diaz, who scored twice and assisted on Alexis D'Acevedo's last-second winning goal.
In the 3rd game versus Jupiter Sting, Kendall SC put the pedal to the metal and wrapped-up the game early with goals by Jade Diaz and Isamar Duran. Jupiter scored to halve the lead,but great plays by midfielders Jade Diaz and Hansine Vexlund, and an extraordinary header by Bania Duran put the Sting on Jupiter and propelled Kendall SC into the Semifinals.
The semifinal featured another tough match against FSA Krush, but this time Kendall SC would emerge the winner by a score of 3-2 on penalty kicks to advance to the Final. The game was a nail-biter, with both teams producing great offensive opportunities, but a superb job by keeper Elena Sanchez kept the game tied 2-2 after regulation and sent the match into penalty kicks where the Kendall SC would prevail.
In the Final they would face the Boynton Beach Knights, the team that had eliminated the U12G Blue’s hopes for a championship in the Plantation Thanksgiving tournament. The game showed a paused and composed Kendall SC team lead by Bania Duran and Jade Diaz, who each scored a goal, but it was the determination and explosiveness of Betsy Zambrana, who scored the third goal, that claimed the title for Kendall SC.
Also playing in the top Orange Bracket was the U12G White, who struggled to capture the magic of last year when they won the U11 championship. This time around they finished third in their group with a 2-0 win over Team Boca White and losses against East Lake Arsenal (1-2) and FSA Krush Academy White (0-4).
U18 Girls
In what could be their swan song at the Orange Classic, the U18G White worked their way into the U19 White II Semifinals with a second place showing in their group after finishing with two wins and one tie in three very close matches. Kendall SC started off with a 1-0 win over the Deltona Stingrays. After tying Royal Palm Beach Strikers 1-1, the girls clinched a spot in the semis with another 1-0 win over Emerald Coast United. Their run would end at the hands of HC United Red in a hard-fought 0-1 semifinal loss.
U15 Girls
The U15G White played in the top Millenium flight, and although they were disappointed at not advancing to the Semifinals, they still showed their mettle finishing group play without any losses. Consecutive ties to Virginia’s Beach FC Piranhas (1-1) and Connecticut’s CFC Wolves (0-0) set them back, but they finished with a flurry in a 5-0 decision over Texas’ TSC Challenge 93 South. |
