NewsAthleticsUpper SchoolStudent LifePre-K to 8Service
Soccer Academy: Girls place second at tournament
Oct 19, 2005 9:38 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Darlington School Soccer Academy had a milestone weekend, as they took their first-ever girls team to compete at the Charleston (S.C.) Select Showcase Soccer Tournament. The team was comprised of Darlington School Soccer Academy players and local Rome and Atlanta players.
The team’s first match was a tough one against the Fusion-College Experience team from Georgia. The Fusion has played together for more than a year, traveling throughout the Southeastern United States to compete against college teams. The Darlington School Soccer Academy girls dominated the game with more than 15 shots on goal.
“The best goal scoring opportunity occurred from a corner kick as Amanda Jones from the Soccer Academy flicked past the charging Fusion goalkeeper to the back post where a Soccer Academy player shot the loose the ball just inches outside the open goal,” said Chad Liddle, Soccer Academy director. “In the final minutes, the game got physical, and guest player, Ali Coad, stepped up from her sweeper position to win a ball and send it to Bethany Raney. The Fusion goalkeeper made a tremendous diving save to keep the game tied at 0-0.”
On Sunday morning, the Soccer Academy girls played the Roanoke (Va.) Soccer Club, needing at least a three-point goal differential and a shutout for max points to go through to the finals. The girls were focused and scored two early goals. In the tenth minute of the game, the Soccer Academy was awarded a corner kick. The ball was driven into the box from the corner and met the head of Soccer Academy player Amanda Jones, who crushed into the net. Six minutes later Amanda struck again, beating three defenders on the dribble and cracking a shot from 20 yards out into the lower corner of the goal.
At halftime, the score was 2-0. Coach Liddle challenged Amanda to get a third goal to complete her “hat trick.” In exchange, he would buy her lunch. In the sixty-fourth minute, she was sent through on a break away by a ball from Erin Krause. Amanda beat the goalkeeper on the dribble and calmly passed the ball into the open net. The game ended 4-0, sending Darlington School Soccer Academy into the finals at 4 p.m.
Darlington School Soccer Academy played with class, skill, and heart during the finals, only to come up short against a very strong team from Coastal Georgia/Florida. The girls were exhausted, and two injuries reduced the team to only one substitute. The Soccer Academy girls lost 0-2 and returned home with the second-place trophy.
“The staff, players and parents couldn’t be happier with the positive results the girls achieved over the weekend,” said Liddle. “The competition instilled passion into the girls and their parents. We achieved second place at a very solid tournament in our first year for a girls’ team, so the future of the Soccer Academy girls looks very exciting.”
Darlington School Soccer Academy is designed for players who wish to develop to their maximum potential through a year-round “total soccer immersion environment.” The Soccer Academy is open to boys and girls seeking an excellent college preparatory education and a place to train, compete, and be exposed to a variety of domestic and international soccer experiences. Click here for more information.
The team’s first match was a tough one against the Fusion-College Experience team from Georgia. The Fusion has played together for more than a year, traveling throughout the Southeastern United States to compete against college teams. The Darlington School Soccer Academy girls dominated the game with more than 15 shots on goal.
“The best goal scoring opportunity occurred from a corner kick as Amanda Jones from the Soccer Academy flicked past the charging Fusion goalkeeper to the back post where a Soccer Academy player shot the loose the ball just inches outside the open goal,” said Chad Liddle, Soccer Academy director. “In the final minutes, the game got physical, and guest player, Ali Coad, stepped up from her sweeper position to win a ball and send it to Bethany Raney. The Fusion goalkeeper made a tremendous diving save to keep the game tied at 0-0.”
On Sunday morning, the Soccer Academy girls played the Roanoke (Va.) Soccer Club, needing at least a three-point goal differential and a shutout for max points to go through to the finals. The girls were focused and scored two early goals. In the tenth minute of the game, the Soccer Academy was awarded a corner kick. The ball was driven into the box from the corner and met the head of Soccer Academy player Amanda Jones, who crushed into the net. Six minutes later Amanda struck again, beating three defenders on the dribble and cracking a shot from 20 yards out into the lower corner of the goal.
At halftime, the score was 2-0. Coach Liddle challenged Amanda to get a third goal to complete her “hat trick.” In exchange, he would buy her lunch. In the sixty-fourth minute, she was sent through on a break away by a ball from Erin Krause. Amanda beat the goalkeeper on the dribble and calmly passed the ball into the open net. The game ended 4-0, sending Darlington School Soccer Academy into the finals at 4 p.m.
Darlington School Soccer Academy played with class, skill, and heart during the finals, only to come up short against a very strong team from Coastal Georgia/Florida. The girls were exhausted, and two injuries reduced the team to only one substitute. The Soccer Academy girls lost 0-2 and returned home with the second-place trophy.
“The staff, players and parents couldn’t be happier with the positive results the girls achieved over the weekend,” said Liddle. “The competition instilled passion into the girls and their parents. We achieved second place at a very solid tournament in our first year for a girls’ team, so the future of the Soccer Academy girls looks very exciting.”
Darlington School Soccer Academy is designed for players who wish to develop to their maximum potential through a year-round “total soccer immersion environment.” The Soccer Academy is open to boys and girls seeking an excellent college preparatory education and a place to train, compete, and be exposed to a variety of domestic and international soccer experiences. Click here for more information.
