CFU Real Girls U-14 Advance to Sweet 16

March 23, 2009

Naples, FL. – The Central Florida United Soccer Club’s U-14 girls advanced to the second round of the Florida State Cup Championships the weekend of March 20-21, 2009, scoring the highest point total of any team on the State Cup roster with decisive shut-out victories in all three games.

Rising early to face the Coral Springs Renegades, Becca Sofarelli got the team off to an early start, lifting a perfect pass to Kaela Harmon from downfield, who tapped it off to Mora Johnson for a cross to Jordan Roy, who then blasted the ball into the upper right corner of the goal. Minutes later, midfielder Samantha Collin found forward Emma Bloom in front of the goal, who lofted it over the keeper’s head for a 2-0 lead. Before the first water break, CFU scored a third goal, when Bailey Florin passed to Collin, who dribbled the ball through two defenders for a clear shot at goal. CFU cinched the game when Florin picked the ball from a scrum in front of the net, and powered it in for a 4-0 victory. With the aid of an all-star defense team, Meredith Gurnee played goal.

Later that afternoon, the girls squared off against the Mako Soccer Club from Port St. Lucie, again scoring early on in the game. Collin knocked it in off a pass from Roy for a 1-0 lead. The second CFU goal of the game was scored by Gurnee, who followed up a goalie bobble off a strong kick from mid-fielder Christina Samper. Bloom scored a third goal off an indirect kick from Collin. Allison Capps scored the fourth and final goal of the game with a phenomenal left-foot kick from right field. For the second consecutive game, defenders Cherie Mundelein, Darbi Filliben, Haley Manchon, Maddie Taylor, Nicole Kovach, Brooke Davis and Sofarelli denied the Mako girls any opportunity to score, with keeper Florin cinching the shut-out.

CFU faced its stiffest competition on Sunday, during a morning game against the West Pasco team. Though the CFU girls dominated, the first half of the game remained scoreless. The CFU’s backfield dominated, with strong showings from Filliben, Mundelein, Manchon, Taylor, Kovach, Sofarelli and Davis. With less than 10 minutes left in the game, Kovach punted to Gurnee, who passed a lone West Pasco defender to go one-on-one with the goalie – booting it in to her right to secure the 1-0 win.