League play took center stage on the opening weekend of March for the Riverhounds Development Academy, as the ECNL Boys hosted Vardar SC of Michigan, while the ECNL Girls sides made a two-day road swing through Ohio and Kentucky.
The boys had plenty to celebrate, going 3-0-1 on the day. And it was the youngest group to play, the 2007 team, who won going away, 10-0, behind four goals each by Nathan Katari and Maddox Andrea.
The 06s battled through a rash of injuries and got goals from Logan Pappert, Zach Nash, Henry Gaston and Bennett Haas to win their game 4-2, while the 05s won 4-1 on two goals by Alex Hauskrecht — one on a 30-yard free kick — and strikes by Gabi Gotz and Milo Larson. The 03/04 Boys looked like they might be the one team to fall after trailing by two goals, but they rallied to take the lead before being denied victory by a late Vardar goal in a 3-3 draw.
On the girls side, it was a fruitful road trip for a number of teams, none more so than the 03/04 and 07 Girls, who both swept their weekend’s matches.
The 03/04s were locked in a windy day battle with Ohio Premier, but the Hounds gained control in the second half and snatched the 1-0 victory when Tessa Dellarose followed up an Abby Weis shot off the bar. From there, the trip to face Kings Hammer yielded more goals, including the first two by Ashlyn Basinger in a 4-1 win. Dellarose set up Tatum Gretz and Natalie Matthews to close out the scoring.
The 07s got two great results, starting with a 3-1 win at Ohio Premier. Sierra Dupre and Simone Sharpless put the team ahead, and Ava Yurko’s penalty kick restored the two-goal lead after OP scored from a corner. Day two was a 6-0 romp at Kings Hammer, as Robin Reilly scored twice, and Dupre, Milena Gill, Maddie Barr and Isabella Costa tallied to end a six-point weekend.
Also picking up a win on the trip were the 05 Girls, who knocked off the first-place OP team 3-1, while the 07 Regional League Girls got their first conference win by knocking off Kings Hammer late, 2-1.
Moving to the Southeast, the 2011 Girls captured a trophy at the Ultimate Cup in Richmond, Va. with a 2-1 win in the finalover Stafford’s Pre-ECNL side. The Hounds won three hard-fought games to get there, defeating Beach FC, 3-1; Richmond Kickers, 4-1; and a second Beach FC side, 3-0. The 2010 RDA II Girls nearly snagged their own trophy, winning three straight before falling in the championship game to the Richmond Strikers, 3-1.
Other winners on the weekend included the 09 East Girls, who took a big lead and held on against the wind to beat Columbus United, 3-2, on goals by Ainsleigh Stickle, Rylee Leahser and Emerson Shine, and both the 05 and 07 RDA II Boys teams, each of which went 2-0-1 in three matches at the Ohio Elite Showcase and topped their respective groups.
With the launch of the new Riverhounds.com, the RDA Results page will be back up and running within the next few weeks. There, you will be able to keep track of scores and news from across the academy, while the weekly RDA Recaps will continue to appear on the News and Academy News pages.
