Balanced attack helps Penn Fusion ECRL U18/U19s stay undefeated

Penn Fusion Academy's boy's U18/U19 ECNL Regional League team faced one of their toughest tests not only against visiting STA last Saturday but also from rainy and windy conditions in a first-vs-second place game played at United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, Pa. The first half lived up to the billing of two heavyweights with the added impact of the weather leading to a high-scoring six-goal contest. The conditions led to some scrappy play and a couple deflected goals but it was obvious why neither team had a loss going into the game. The lone goal in the second half would prove to be the game-winner as Penn Fusion improved to 9-0-0 in the South division of the Northeast Conference. Here's a look at some of the standouts in the game for the hosts. <strong>Jaydon Elcock, Defender/Winger</strong> STA spent a lot of time attacking down the left flank and Elcock responded to the attention with a number of key tackles and interventions. Though he typically plays more as an attacking winger, the 2022 Haverford High School graduate showed a lot of bite defensively in the face of significant pressure from a tough attacking team. [caption id="attachment_45013" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/05/6N4A1581-crop-1438x944-1652457214.jpg"><img class="wp-image-45013 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/05/6N4A1581-crop-1438x944-1652457214-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <em>[player_tooltip player_id='45500' first='Ryan' last='Kuegler']</em>[/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='45500' first='Ryan' last='Kuegler'], Midfielder</strong> The speedy central midfielder was impressive throughout both with and without the ball but his finest moment was on the pass that unlocked the STA defense and set up the game-winner for Colin Deal. The West Chester Henderson junior collected a pass from [player_tooltip player_id="15053" first="Adam" last="Gomaa"] near the top of the 18 with his right and quickly played the ball in with his left to a wide open Deal for the finish. <strong>Colin Deal, Midfielder</strong> Deal provided the firepower in the match Penn Fusion needed to keep their perfect season intact. The Bishop Shanahan senior's run into the box and finish for the game-winner was the exclamation point the game needed. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jwmXVRE5kdw" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Seth Turner, Goalkeeper</strong> The Great Valley junior came up with a huge stop early in the second half when he was able to get his finger tips to a well-struck free kick and push the ball off the crossbar and out of danger. He followed that up with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://youtu.be/HbNiOhj1WLA">a triple save</a></strong></span> to preserve the lead. [caption id="attachment_45014" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-45014 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/05/6N4A1702-300x200.jpg" alt="[player_tooltip player_id=" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="15086" first="Brandon" last="Watson"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="15086" first="Brandon" last="Watson"], Winger/Forward</strong> Watson saw a lot of the ball out on the left flank and did well to use his speed to add width to the attack and spread the defense out for Kuegler and Deal to do their work. The West Chester Henderson senior's combination play with Gomaa helped create the opening that led to the winner. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="15318" first="Thomas" last="Vanni"], Midfielder/Forward</strong> Vanni provided some solid minutes for the team late, particularly when they needed a release valve going forward with all of the pressure they were sustaining. The Tower Hill HS (Del.) junior also deserves a shoutout for his audacious bicycle kick attempt that became an easy save in the end after it was blocked on its way toward the goal.