Three teams represented the Darlington School Soccer Academy in Alabama this past weekend at the Birmingham Bash, Oct. 4-5, where the U19 boys emerged as tournament champions.
"Everybody played to their full potential, which is great preparation for the upcoming showcase events," said Kevin Ray, director of operations for the Darlington School Soccer Academy.
The U19 boys won all three games played coming out victorious over Freedom 97 and BUSA 98 Hammers, scoring the only goal during the final game when Darlington senior Josu Ortuondo won with a free kick during the second half over the BUSA 97 Elite Boys.
The Soccer Academy’s girls team started off strong in the first game with the sole goal kicked by Darlington freshman Lilley Washburn, assisted by junior Mimi Sarkodie, claiming victory over FC Dallas ECU. Darlington senior Alex Zegarra found the back of the net early in the second half of the second game beating out ACSC 97 Blaza, helping secure the team’s spot in the finals. After a tied third game with the Gulf Coast Texans Easy 97 Girls, the ladies fell to the competition in the final game losing 0-1 to TFC 98 United.
The U17s started with a loss at the conclusion of their first game against BUSA Elite 99, 0-1, but came back to win the following match up when Darlington junior Emilio Abarca scored on a penalty kick, 1-0, winning over Gulf Coast Texan. In the final game, the opponent forfeited.
"Each of our teams had a very nice weekend and each team demonstrated a strong display of soccer,” said Jamey Newsome, assistant director of the Darlington School Soccer Academy. “Our girls team is traveling to Washington, D.C. this weekend for the WAGS showcase and this past weekend was good to help them prepare. We are all very proud of our teams."
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