Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) was the only Club in Central Florida to advance a girl’s team into the semi-finals of Disney’s prestigious Junior Showcase this past weekend.
Overall, OCYS had four girl’s teams advance from group play into the semi-final round, capping off another successful tournament weekend for City.
U-12 Purple:
The U-12 Purple team were the only team to secure first place in the tournament after scoring in the waning moments of extra time to defeat Boca United 2-1. Goalkeeper Krystal Cruz and Defender Catherine Tyler were the standout players of the tournament for the U-12s.
U-13 Pre-ECNL:
City’s U-13 Pre-Elite Club’s National League (ECNL) team fell 1-0 to CESA’s pre-ECNL side in a very tight semi-final match. The U-13’s standout players were Defender Serena Lewis and Midfielder Amanda Hartmann.
U-14 Purple:
The U-14 Purple team battled Clay County to a 2-2 draw for the majority of their semi-final match. However, Clay County’s finish with 20 seconds remaining saw the Lions fall in a 3-2 defeat. The U-14s’ standout players were Defender Megan Magee and Forward Taylor Dorenkott.
U-14 ECNL:
The U-14 ECNL team also suffered a 1-0 defeat in an extremely close semi-final game against Concorde Fire. The standout players for the U-14s were Midfielder Lilliana Fernandez and Forward Kristin Scott.
Commenting on OCYS’ performance in the Disney Junior Showcase, Girls Academy Director and ECNL Head Coach Alan Hough said, “We had some very tough loses in the semi-final, but they were all close games and overall a great showing for us. To advance four teams is a testament to where we are as a youth academy, the coaching staff, and the way we develop players at the younger ages for big events. We’re not just winning games, but we’re doing so by playing good soccer. We’re playing out of the back and our philosophy was highly evident this weekend.”
