Three days have come and gone at the 2019 Young Women's National Championship (YWNC) at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa. Check out a recap from each game that was played below.
Patriots 1 - 5 Courage
The opening game of the third day was a battle for third place in Pool A as Patriots took on Courage. After a scoreless first quarter Casey Thompson (Windham, N.H.) opened the scoring for Courage deflecting home a cross from Taylor Dempsey (San Martin, Calif.) four minutes into the second quarter. Courage continued to create better chances through the first half but it would be the Patriots who came out strong after the break as they sought the equalizer. They were unable to find the goal, and about halfway through the third quarter, Corinne Zanolli (Newtown Square, Pa.) slotted a drag flick off the inside of the right post to double Courage's advantage. 30 seconds later Emily Henry (Bethlehem, Pa.) grabbed the third score with a lift over the advancing goalkeeper. Henry would turn provider on the next possession when she again beat the goalkeeper to find Sara Hayes (Drexel, Pa.) in front of the goal for Courage's fourth goal. The Patriots were not done however and, after some good work by Fusine Govaert (Rye, N.H.) and Hailey Couch (Easton, Pa.) Sophia Tornetta (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) tapped home a goal. With two minutes remaining, Zanolli bagged the final goal of the game, her second, after winning the ball on the press and finishing on her backhand from the top of the circle.
Pride 0 - 0 Spirit
The Pool B clash between Pride and Spirit had a semifinal birth riding on it as both teams had managed to pick up three points from their first two games. Pride needed a win while Spirit only needed a draw to advance. A classic, cagey affair, the first quarter would remain scoreless and it would take until midway through the second quarter before Pride was able to create the first true chance of the game but the shot from Pip Konerth (Huntingtown, Md.) was off target. Down the other end Hollyn Barr (Louisville, Ky.) and the defensive corner unit were able to keep Spirit's first penalty corner opportunity out. Still tied heading into the final quarter, Patriots were able to convert two good chances early on before Colleen Norair (Charlottesville, Va.) burst through only to be halted by a solid save by the goalkeeper. Patriots, knowing that a draw was not enough, pulled their goalkeeper with five minutes left to no avail as Spirit secured their spot in the semifinals with the scoreless result.
Freedom 6 - 3 Honor
The top of Pool A clash had goals written all over it from the start as Taylor Blood (Hampton Falls, N.Y.) pounced on the rebound after the ball careened off the bar from a penalty corner variation in the 7th minute. Allison Smith (Wilmington, Del.) went close for Freedom before Mackenzie Keegan (Delran, N.J.) and then Margot Lawn (Pasadena, Md.) created opportunities for Honor. At the start of the second quarter, Keegan tied the game for Honor after some nice work by Erin Shanahan (Pasadena, Md.)down the right baseline. The stalemate did not last long as Blood served up a diving assist for Megan Rodgers (San Diego, Calif.) who put Freedom back in front. Not to be outdone, Honor evened the score again through Erin McCrudden (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) from a broken penalty corner play. Jenny Rizzo (Hershey, Pa.), in goal for Honor, kept Rodgers at bay with a calm save from a backhand effort before Keegan snagged here second of the day and fifth of the tournament moments later, finishing under Rizzo close to the baseline. Honor had a lead that would last less than a minute when a Kendall Ballard (Charlottesville, Va.) drag flick found the top right corner. Now even at 3-3 after 30 minutes, the scoring would all be one way as Meghan Conroy (Chesterfield, Mo.) scored a penalty corner deflection for Freedom and Gianna Glatz (Medford, N.J.) saved well from a Honor corner variation. With less than five minutes on the clock play was suspended due to rain and the game was moved into the Dome. Honor elected to use the break to pull their goalkeeper but it was to no avail. Freedom ran out 6-3 winners and topped Pool A heading into the semifinals.
The top of Pool A clash had goals written all over it from the start as Taylor Blood (Hampton Falls, N.Y.) pounced on the rebound after the ball careened off the bar from a penalty corner variation in the 7th minute. Allison Smith (Wilmington, Del.) went close for Freedom before Mackenzie Keegan (Delran, N.J.) and then Margot Lawn (Pasadena, Md.) created opportunities for Honor. At the start of the second quarter, Keegan tied the game for Honor after some nice work by Erin Shanahan (Pasadena, Md.)down the right baseline. The stalemate did not last long as Blood served up a diving assist for Megan Rodgers (San Diego, Calif.) who put Freedom back in front. Not to be outdone, Honor evened the score again through Erin McCrudden (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) from a broken penalty corner play. Jenny Rizzo (Hershey, Pa.), in goal for Honor, kept Rodgers at bay with a calm save from a backhand effort before Keegan snagged here second of the day and fifth of the tournament moments later, finishing under Rizzo close to the baseline. Honor had a lead that would last less than a minute when a Kendall Ballard (Charlottesville, Va.) drag flick found the top right corner. Now even at 3-3 after 30 minutes, the scoring would all be one way as Meghan Conroy (Chesterfield, Mo.) scored a penalty corner deflection for Freedom and Gianna Glatz (Medford, N.J.) saved well from a Honor corner variation. With less than five minutes on the clock play was suspended due to rain and the game was moved into the Dome. Honor elected to use the break to pull their goalkeeper but it was to no avail. Freedom ran out 6-3 winners and topped Pool A heading into the semifinals.
USA U-19 0 - 0 Dream
The final game would see significantly less goals but still plenty of action as Pool B leaders USA U-19 team took on Dream. The first half would be characterized by sustained USA U-19 possession but they failed to break down the stout Dream defense. Dream almost took the lead in the 12th minute as Elizabeth Ryan latched onto a long ball through the midfield but her shot ricocheted off the right post. As the half wore on USA U-19's ball control began to dominate. Rachel Gaines (Boone, N.C.) was called into action in the Dream goal as she made a strong save from Paityn Wirth (Thompsontown, Pa.) after a penetrating run by Maddie Zimmer (Hershey, Pa.). As the second half got underway USA U-19 would continue to lead the possession stats and created opportunities but Dream would begin to find chances of their own. The goalkeepers, Gaines for Dream and Jonna Kennedy (Watertown, Mass.) for USA U-19, produced solid saves from open play and penalty corners. In the final minute both teams went close as Kennedy first stopped an attempt from Olivia Sahaydak (Bethlehem, Pa.) to keep Dream off the board before. Seconds later, with time winding down, Gaines maintained the shutout as she stopped an effort by Riley Donnelly (Doylestown, Pa.) effort from the top of the circle.
The YWNC continues on tomorrow, June 17, as the next set of matches are set. Admission to all games are free. For more information including results, full schedule, rosters, live stream and more, check out the YWNC event page by clicking here. #YWNC2019
Monday, June 17 Schedule:
11:30 a.m. Courage vs. Dream (5th-8th Place)
1:30 p.m. Pride vs. Patriots (5th-8th Place)
3:30 p.m. Freedom vs. Spirit (Semifinals)
5:30 p.m. USA U19 vs. Honor (Semifinals)