YOUTH SOCCER (GIRLS 11U): BC UNITED WINS FC DELCO TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS (4 PHOTOS) (2021-06-13)
Valley Sports ReportKING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. "”Coming off a tough loss at the N.Y. State Cup action just a week prior, the BC United 2009 Premier girls soccer team went 5-0 over Memorial Day weekend to earn the title here at the FC Delco Tournament of Champions.
BC United, which includes Waverly's Mackenzie Olmsted and Lauren Gorlsine, faced top-ranked teams from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York. The tournament included nationally-ranked teams.
A second registered BC '09 team's play was completely canceled due to field conditions.
BC United opened play Saturday morning with a 4-1 win over Maryland's Matrix Mystique, which is ranked 18th in the state.
BC United head coach Chris Riley was pleased with the outing, which "set the tone for a tough weekend ahead particularly with the onslaught of rain in the forecast."
Sunday morning, BC United faced Pennsylvania West's top-ranked Pittsburgh Hotspurs. BCUnited trailed 2-1 at the half, but scored four second-half goals for a 5-2 win
BCU finished pool play Sunday with a 7-1 win over Northeast United NEU Tekkers.
In the semifinals, North Union United '09 Strikkers, ranked 169th in the nation, and pulled out a 3-2 victory, despite a number of injuries in an extremely physical game.
BC United faced a familiar foe in the finals in SDA Syracuse. BC United beat SDA in the opening round of the New York State Cup in early May.
SDA entered play with a 4-0 record on the weekend, outscoring its opponents, 11-2. BCU was 4-0 with a 19-6 scoring advantage.
SDA scored an early goal, and led 1-0 at the half.
BC United scored midway through the second half, and the game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation.
With just over 3 minutes remaining to play, it was the Waverly duo who combined to bring the title home for BC United.
Olmsted, who received a long ball just over mid-field, found Gorsline with a beautiful open space pass that led to Gorsline finding the back of the net.
BC then held strong, withstanding much pressure from SDA for the remainder of the OT period, to capturing the tournament title.
Riley, who has been bringing teams to this prestigious tournament for a number of years, finally got a championship.
"This is, by far, one of the greatest victories for this young team," he said. "This tournament championship is not easily accomplished ... some of the best teams in the Northeast come here every year hoping to bring home this trophy.
"This one is really a tribute to how tough these girls are. We played with only two subs and every game with an injury or two forcing players to play in unfamiliar positions," noted Riley.
"Although the roster consisted of 13 girls (this weekend), the team is comprised of 22 dedicated young athletes that have been working since November to hoist a championship trophy of this nature," he added. "This victory is only achieved through the hard work by every one of the 22 girls."
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IN PHOTO 1: Mackenzie Olmsted and Lauren Gorsline. ... PHOTOS SBMITTED.
