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Kingdom U16s Overcome Early Blip, Earn Crown

12/13/2016, 7:00pm EST
By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

Kalamazoo rallies for 2-1 win against FCV to garner title at SYL Finals


Casey Brooke Photography / Kalamazoo Kingdom's U16 Boys champions

BRADENTON, Fla. – Kalamazoo Kingdom’s U16 Boys were behind the 8-ball within a matter of seconds. It was an uncommon moment for a defense that had only conceded one goal heading into Tuesday’s title match of the 2016 Super Y League North American Finals.

After that setback, the game opened up, and Kalamazoo’s scoring rose to the occasion, rallying for a 2-1 victory against FCV Annandale Elite Loudoun at IMG Academy.

“I think the boys are pretty excited,” Kingdom Head Coach Chad Wiseman said. “They came down here and played some pretty good soccer and were deserving of the championship.”

With the exception of that early blip, Kalamazoo’s defense was a trademark element of the club en route to the championship.

“We’re all big and tall, so every ball in the air, we usually just clean up,” center back Jaylen Shannon said. “No one really gets past us. We’re all fast as well and we can connect passes. It’s just a strong defense.”

Offensively, Kalamazoo’s Dylan Sing and Nick Hitchens tallied the equalizer and winner, respectively, and like its semifinal match, the club saw out the remainder of the match.

Sing had the one goal and certainly was an effective presence in the second half, even though Kalamazoo could not find an insurance goal.

Dylan is a true No. 9 for us,” Wiseman said. “He does a really good job of linking up play and holding up the play when he needs to, allowing our midfielders to get involved. When he starts connecting passes, we get third-man runners going through, and it’s a lot for opposing teams to be able to handle us defensively when we do that.”

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