Super Y League Feature

Sunday, December 13, 2015

BRADENTON, Fla. – Of all the semifinal-clinching victories on Sunday, Alpharetta Ambush Soccer Club had the most subdued reaction, and for good reason.

The Ambush advance to the semifinals with an injury-riddled side, but they have stepped up in the moment to go 3-0-0 in Group B following Sunday’s 1-0 win against Parsippany SC. Boland Lekeala scored the team’s lone goal.

The group stage, however, has taken its toll on the side.

“It’s tough,” Ambush Head Coach David Eristavi said. “We missed six other players last year when we won the national championship. It was Under-14 then. It’s tough because every game is a physical game and they give everything.”

Jacob Chakroun fractured his arm in the opening 3-1 win against Florida Elite Soccer Academy on Thursday, and then Matthew Acha-Morfaw was carted off with a right leg injury in the second half on Sunday.

The Alpharetta club would be the first to admit that Sunday’s performance was its poorest of the three group wins. Outside of Lekeala’s first-half tally, the Ambush did not threaten the net much in the second half, primarily working the ball down the right side and bunching toward that side of the pitch.

The elements likely played a psychological factor, too.

“The wind was very difficult, but we needed to play one and two touches,” Eristavi said. “It was in their head.”

The Ambush will trudge ahead into the semifinals, and despite being shorthanded, they will need the likes of Lekeala or Jackson Jolley – who hit the right post during one key second-half sequence Sunday – to step up for their injured comrades when they face Kalamazoo Kingdom.

“They should be hungry,” Eristavi said. “They will need to step up, take the game over and be motivated.”

SYL North American Finals Top Performers
Antonio Downey, Toronto Lynx Jrs., U18 Boys – Downey scored three goals and assisted two others during Toronto’s 11-2 win against FCSC United SYL. Brandon Duerte also had a hat trick and an assist while Lynx teammates Nicholas Gaviria and Adam Gould each contributed a brace. Both sides came up short of advancing to Monday’s semifinals.

Lagos Kunga, DDYSC Wolves, U16 Boys – The Wolves striker scored all three goals to lead his team to a 3-1 victory against the Toronto Lynx Jrs. and earn first place in Group C. DDYSC faces DCPDA during Monday’s semifinals.

Christian Harter, Liberty F.C., U16 Boys – Harter and Liberty F.C. played the role of spoiler against a Norcross Soccer Academy team that was in the hunt for a semifinal spot. Harter scored three second-half goals as Liberty edged Norcross 3-2, paving the way for DCPDA to win Group D and advance to the semifinals.

Kevin Brito, Cedar Stars Academy, U16 Boys – Brito recorded a hat trick with the final touch of the game in stoppage time as CSA defeated FC Sarasota 4-2. Despite the win, CSA fell short to F.A. Euro New York, which advanced through Group B to the semifinals based on head-to-head.

Markello Apodiakos, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, U14 Boys – Apodiakos scored three goals and added an assist during the Riverhounds’ win against the Westchester Flames. Ryan Dougherty and Joseph Kearney each scored two goals for Pittsburgh.

Anthony Hernandez, Chicago Inferno, U12 Boys – Though the Inferno fell one spot shy of a semifinal berth, Chicago locked up second place in its group thanks to Hernandez’s hat trick during a 5-1 victory against Alpharetta Ambush Soccer Club.