MD – MIAA | Archive | April, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Angela Watts
Assistant GM, Washington D.C. Metro Area
703-966-7890
awatts@digitalsports.com

Washington, D.C. — The Washington Bayhawks and DigitalSports.com are proud to jointly announce a new partnership that will help further promote the game of lacrosse across the Washington, D.C. Metro area according to DigitalSports General Manager Rich Toland and Bayhawks Director of Business Development Andrew Sclama.

The ninth season of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) promises to be an exciting one as the Bayhawks, in their third season in the nation’s capital, are ready to take flight in their new home stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD.

And DigitalSports — the region’s top source for local and high school sports coverage — will be there to capture the experience with game results, news stories, photos and video highlights.

“This is an exciting partnership for DigitalSports,” said Rich Toland, General Manager of the DigitalSports D.C. Metro team. “The area’s youth and high school lacrosse communities have been so supportive of DigitalSports.com in recent years, and we’re thrilled to be able to follow so many of those area athletes as they extend their playing careers with the Washington Bayhawks.”

“DigitalSports is the best place to find all of your local and high school sports coverage, and we are thrilled to be working so closely with them this season,” said Andrew Sclama, Director of Business Development for the Washington Bayhawks. “Our team is made up of many great players that call the Mid-Atlantic region home, and I know they are all excited about playing in front of the fans that followed them in high school and college.”

The Bayhawks 40-Man Roster boasts 28 players who grew up across Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, and 32 players who currently live in the Mid-Atlantic region. Included in those players are local stars Andrew “Buggs” Combs (attack) and Chris Garrity (goalie). Combs graduated from St. Paul’s School in Baltimore and led the Bayhawks in goals during the 2008 season. Garrity has won MLL Goalie of the Year honors (2005), he is a four-time MLL All-Star, and he graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis, MD.

“Playing in Annapolis gives us a very central location for our entire fan base to come to our games,” Sclama stated. “Lacrosse fans in this region love following their high school teams, and we know they are going to love following their old teammates and friends at the professional level this year.”

Bayhawks season tickets for all six home games are available now. Don’t miss your chance to reserve the best seats for the fastest game on two feet. Group packages, team and corporate outings, and single game tickets are also available. To reserve your season tickets, contact the Bayhawks ticket office at 866-99-HAWKS (42957) or by going to the Bayhawks website at www.washingtonbayhawks.com.

About DigitalSports
DigitalSports® is the source for your local sports and activities; providing members and guests with a single point of access to high school and club sports and activities around the country. By distributing professional and user-generated content, DigitalSports offers communities around the nation the opportunity to share and spotlight the accomplishments of their local youth. 

About the Washington Bayhawks
The Washington Bayhawks are part of Major League Lacrosse (MLL), a six team professional outdoor lacrosse league which began play in 2001. The Bayhawks are among the original six teams and will begin their third season as the Washington Bayhawks this spring. Their previous six seasons were played in Baltimore. The MLL has teams in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Long Island, Toronto, and Washington. For more information, contact the Bayhawks ticket office at 866-99-HAWKS or visit www.washingtonbayhawks.com. The Bayhawks are one of the original six teams in the MLL, which began play during the summer of 2001. The franchise has won four division titles and two league championships over its first eight seasons.

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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Pachuca Internationals was down a goal to rival D.C. United Academy Team at halftime and staring an early exit from the International Amateur Soccer Tournament.

But luckily for Pachuca, it’s a second-half team.

The Pachuca Internationals rallied with a goal just five minutes into the second half and the game-winning goal with five minutes left in regulation to win 2-1 Monday evening at the RFK Auxiliary Field.

“We weren’t too scared; we were just worried,” midfielder Skylar Olson said. “We knew we could come back because we always do.”

Christopher Makowski (Faith Christian Academy, Pa.) notched the game-winner on a header off a free kick from Nathaniel Howell (Sidwell Friends) and Olson (Wootton) scored the game-tying goal when he slid and collided with the keeper.

Makowski whipped out a forward front hand-spring to cap off the goal, a move he was planning on saving. But what better time than a huge goal in an international tournament.

“It was cool, a game-finisher,” Makowski said. “I just got lucky nobody was guarding me. I just took my time and hit it away.”

D.C. United had the run of play in the first half but Pachuca flipped the game in the second half and put several good runs together right at the start of the second half.

Pachuca, who lost its first game to El Deportivo Saprissa of San Jose, Costa Rica, will next face Real Madrid of Madrid, Spain on Thursday.

But for now, a winner over an academy team as prestigious as D.C. United is worth flipping over.

“It’s always good to win, but to win against an academy team, to be playing in an international tournament, it’s always a huge ego booster and morale booster,” Olson said.

Pachuca Internationals (High School)

6. Nick Alers (Country Day School)
9. Vitalis Atemafac (Archbishop Carroll)
5. Matias Cima (Gonzaga)
12. Patrick Ebobisse (Walter Johnson)
21. Benjamin Fernadez (Bethesda-Chevy Chase)
3. Philip Fleischman (Sidwell Friends)
14. Matthew Harlow (Wootton)
23. Stephen Ho (Wootton)
19. Nathaniel Howell (Sidwell Friends)
20. Max Kanner (Walter Johnson)
00. Seth MacMillan (Sidwell Friends)
11. Christopher Makowski (Faith Christian Academy)
8. Patrick Mehlert (Bethesda-Chevy Chase)
4. Michael Nsoesie (Archbishop Carroll)
7. Skylar Olson (Wootton)
16. Erik Upsahl (Blair)
17. Marcel Santos (Kennedy)
15. Alex Smith (Episcopal)
13. James Thomas (Blair)
18. Ntokozo Tshuma (Episcopal)
10. Nicholas Van Holen (Bethesda-Chevy Chase)

DC United (High School)

0. Samir Badr, GK (Robinson)
1. Eric Valladares, GK (Magruder)
2. Coleman O’Neill, D (The Field School)
3. *Dominick Yin, D (Whitman)
4. *Shaquille Phillips, D (Sidwell Friends)
7. *Kennedy O’Shea, F (N/A)
8. *Sam Bradley, D (Bullis)
9. Yaw Amankwa, F (Damascus)
11. Steven Mashinski, M (Chantilly)
12. Noah Merlin, M (Oakton)
14. Luis Cartagena, F (Gar-Field)
18. Julian Saldana, D/M (Northwood)
20. Andy Najar, F (Edison)
21. Myles McGinley, M (Flint Hill)
22. Dallas Aminzadeh, M (DeMatha)
23. Josh Ellis, M (Langley)
25. Marcus Salandy-Defour, F (Georgetown Prep)
26. Allan Flott, D (Bishop O’Connell)
32. Iyassu Bekele, M/F (Wakefield)
33. Julio Arjona, M (Clarksburg)

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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Before Great Falls Academy Elite has to play some of the top teams amateur club teams from around the world, it got to face a familiar foe in the Freestate Soccer Academy from Bowie, Md.

The two teams have played four or five times in the past couple months. And according to forward K.C. Onyeador, GFA Elite has come out on top each time.

That pattern continued Monday as GFA Elite defeated its metro area foe, 2-0, at Trinity College in GFA’s first game in the International Amateur Soccer Tournament

Onyeador, who plays for Park View High School, scored his team’s second goal while National Pool player Dylan Bowman of James River broke what was a scoreless game with a  header goal three minutes into the second half.

“We hold the upper hand,” Bowman said of the rivalry with Freestate. “We knew we had some chances and knew we were going to get some second half goals. We just had to put them away.”

Bowman’s goal came off a cross from Robinson forward Koko Makumbi. The chipped cross found Bowman in traffic near the penalty stripe. His header wasn’t all that powerful but it was just inside the right post to give GFA a 1-0 lead.

“Dylan’s goal, that was a great goal,” Onyeador said. “The ball was over me and Dylan comes out of nowhere and puts it in the bottom corner.”

“Probably my first headed goal,” Bowman added.

Onyeador’s goal, off a nifty little pass from Bowman, was scored just 14 minutes later in the 62nd minute.

But now it’s on to literally more foreign competition for GFA Elite. The club will face Chivas de Corazon from Guadalajara, Mexico on Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers from Blackburn, England on Thursday.

“It’s good to get off to a good start because our next challenges are going to be pretty big,” Onyeador said.

GFA Elite Coach Ed Beach watched the two teams battle to a tie on Sunday.

“I was very, very, very impressed,” Beach said. “It seems they brought over their better players and we’ll have our hands more than full.”

Great Falls Academy Elite (High School)

1. Mark Bixler, GK (Hidden Valley)
3. Roshan Patel, D (Langley)
4. Drew Ruggles, D (Osbourn Park)
5. Andrew Varney, D (Potomac School)
7. Calder Street, M (Centreville)
8. Calle Brown, M (Loudoun County)
9. James Case, M (Heritage)
10. K.C. Onyeador, F (Park View)
11. Dylan Bowman, F (James River)
12. Conor Shanosky, M (Potomac Falls)
17. Robert Crissy, D (O’Connell)
18. William Simpson, M (Kettle Run)
19. Daniel Reategui, F (Broad Run)
20. Jamar Umar, M (Chantilly)
23. Tim Whitebread, M (McLean)
24. Daniel Flitcroft, M (Langley)
25. Zach Malanoski, F (Gonzaga)
26. Koko Makumbi, F (Robinson)
27. Farhan Khan, D (Stuart)
36. Charlie Ahn, M (Oakton)

Freestate Elite (High School)

0. Sean Killion, GK (Arundel)
1. Kyle McGehrin, GK (Archbishop Spalding)
2. Luke Goldsborough, M (Holly Grove Christian)
3. Eli Dennis, M (Easton)
4. Eric Hamel, M (DeMatha)
5. Brian Graham, F (Bowie)
6. Zak Modly, M (Mt. St. Joseph)
7. Christopher Woodruff, F (Bethesda-Chevy Chase)
8. Fabio Cardenas, M (Walter Johnson)
9. Cody Albrecht, M (DeMatha)
10. Lenny Pagliaro, M (Spalding)
11. Jasim Mobaidin, D (DeMatha)
12. Michael Jereme Raley, M (St. Mary’s Ryken)
13. Kevin Rama, M (DeMatha)
14. Marcus Brutus, M (Blake)
15. Michael Beard, D (Eleanor Roosevelt)
17. Travis Dennis, D (Eleanor Roosevelt)
18. Wole Kekere-Ekun, D (DeMatha)
19. Jeffry Juarez, M (Sherwood)
20. Martin Sanchez, M (Worcester Prep)

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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area

*Click the links on the top-left for all videos and photos from Saturday’s game.*

After its first game in the Tiffany Cup — and the marquee match of the group stage — the D.C. United U-16 team only has a 1-0 loss to the Real Madrid CF Academy team to show for itself.

But given its assertiveness in the attacking third, especially in the first half, and the mere moment of misplay that led to Madrid’s 51st-minute goal, United coach Richie Burke found more silver lining than cloud in the tournament-opening defeat at RFK Stadium.

“We did very well. If we get a goal in the first half, maybe that’s a different result,” Burke said. “We had a couple of chances in the first half in particular where I thought we were a little bit better than them.

“Their team was obviously schooled very, very well from a professional level, but I … thought we gave a great account of ourselves, a great account of the club and every time we play in a development academy, it’s about developing players, not winning games.”

United demonstrated its development minute-by-minute on Saturday, too.

On the opening kickoff, United played the ball directly back through the midfield, through the defense and gingerly to goalkeeper Samir Badr, with Madrid striker Alvaro Morata bearing down.

Badr was forced to clear the ball from the edge of the penalty area, and watched as Los Merengues — the nickname for Madrid, due to its all-white uniform — controlled possession near the United goal for the first three minutes.

Once it settled in, though, United held the majority of possession and proved a greater threat to tally. It had the best scoring chance of the first half when Ethiopian attacking mid Iyassu Bekele played a through-ball to striker Yaw Imankwa, the team’s leading scorer in league play.

Imankwa was one-on-one with Madrid goalkeeper Ricardo Alanso, but Ricardo came off his line to deflected Imankwa’s low shot out-of-bounds. 

According to Burke, his club showed similar tentativeness — but that for the entirety of its 4-2 loss to Chelsea FC Soccer Academy — at the Disney Soccer Showcase in Orlando, Fl., on December 27.

“Playing against Chelsea’s youth team, our boys were like deer in the headlights and thought they were playing Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard,” he said. “But today, we quelled that. I just think our kids were a little bit nervous playing in a stadium for the first time, which any 15- or 16-year-old [will] — there was a 14-year-old for us on the field today.

“These kids are going to feel it; that it is a big step in their careers.”

Madrid’s goal came in the 51st minute when, after conservative play by both sides opened the second half, United played the ball back to Badr, who recently trained with Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto in Portugal.

Badr had an uncertain first touch and, with Morata closing, elected to play the ball around him rather than out-of-bounds. Morata, a Spanish national pool player, dispossessed Badr and flicked the ball into the open net.

Although Badr, a United States national pool member himself, made two spectacular saves after allowing the goal, United failed to equalize in the latter stages.

“It’s an instance when young boy is thinking he can play out [of] the back, and that ball really needed to go,” said Burke of the goal by Morata, the leading scorer from the 24-team, La Liga Nike Cup in 2008. “If that was a professional, first-teamer, that ball is in row zed. Unfortunately, he was trying to play a little bit out of the back.

“At sixes and sevens, they’re going get a result from it. So it was a little bit of immaturity; nothing about bad plays and a bad team, just a little bit of sixes and sevens, again, and poor decisions.”

Misfortune aside, United gave a promising showing and the U-16s proved their worth against one of the most groomed academy teams in the world.

The result, though, requires a minor miracle for United to win Group A and advance to the tournament championship game, to be played at RFK either on Friday or Saturday.

“When you lose your first match, you have to rebound back and hope the team that beat you has a dodgy result, as well,” said Burke, who returned Julio Arjona and Shaquille Phillips to the team from the U.S. Soccer residency program in Bradenton, Fl., specifically for the Tiffany Cup.

“I think that was the key match-up in this group, in particular. If we’re talking purely about advancing and winning the tournament, we have to hope that they have a mishap and we step up and play from now on in.

“From the stance of our development, I’d say that was a great step for us and I hope that the next couple of games — results aside — that we grow as much we did today. That’s all we’re looking for from this group.”

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Real Madrid CF   0  1  —  1
D.C. United          0  0  —  0

Goals:                 
RM — Morata (51)

Real Madrid CF Roster
1. Andres, GK
2. Salazar, D
3. Nestor, D
4. Parla, D
5. Sergio, D
6. Juanfran, M
7. Esnaider, F
8. Koke, M
9. Morata, F
10. Aguza, M
11. Cristian, M
12. Jordi, D
13. Ricardo, GK
14. Buyo, M
15. Jaime, F
16. Vela, M
17. Altares, D
18. Rafael Perez, F
19. Delfin, M
20. Miguel Galan, M

D.C. United Roster (High School)
0. *Samir Badr, GK (Robinson)
1. Eric Valladares, GK (Magruder)
2. Coleman O'Neill, D (The Field School)
3. *Dominick Yin, D (Whitman)
4. *Shaquille Phillips, D (Sidwell Friends)
7. *Kennedy O'Shea, F (N/A)
8. *Sam Bradley, D (Bullis)
9. Yaw Amankwa, F (Damascus)
11. Steven Mashinski, M (Chantilly)
12. Noah Merlin, M (Oakton)
14. Luis Cartagena, F (Gar-Field)
18. Julian Saldana, D/M (Northwood)
20. Andy Najar, F (Edison)
21. Myles McGinley, M (Flint Hill)
22. Dallas Aminzadeh, M (DeMatha)
23. Josh Ellis, M (Langley)
25. Marcus Salandy-Defour, F (Georgetown Prep)
26. Allan Flott, D (Bishop O'Connell)
32. Iyassu Bekele, M/F (Wakefield)
33. *Julio Arjona, M (Clarksburg)

*U.S. National team experience

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