Champions Crowned at ECNL Finals

<p>The ECNL National Championships in the most of the age groups were held on Monday from Richmond, Virginia. With temperatures in the high 90s, the playing conditions definitely tested everyone. </p>   <p>The 07 age group delivered plenty of fireworks on the day. Slammers FC HB Koge squared off against defending champion Solar. The California versus Texas battled lived up to the hype. With the two offensive juggernauts trading haymaker after haymaker in the dense summer humidity after a long, grueling season. I lost track of the score at point with goal after goal pouring in. ECNL recorded the final result as 6-5 with Solar SC defending their title and repeating as champion. </p>   <p>The title game featured a number of highlight moments, but one that certainly raised the most eyebrows came in Extra Time. Following a miscommunication from the sidelines to the players, Solar scored a goal after a restart, which initially looked like the they were giving the ball back to Slammers Koge. After the snafu, Solar's coaches instructed the players to let Slammers FC HB Koge score - albeit in not the most graceful way we've ever seen. It was a wonderful bit of sportsmanship even in the most intense game of the season. </p>   <p>Every player who featured on Monday deserves the spotlight and the credit for their contributions to reaching this game that thousands of players dreamed of playing in when the season started back in August. </p>   <p>Below is a few of the moments (goals)and players that seamed especially meaningful to the final result. </p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='26834' first='Jordyn' last='Hardeman'], Solar SC 07 - It seems crazy to highlight a defender as the most impactful player in the game when the game had 11 goals, but here we are. Hardeman's assist on [player_tooltip player_id='27233' first='Sealey' last='Strawn']'s goal was some very high level soccer. Judging by the celebration from the Solar bench, it was a rehearsed play that had been done numerous times in training and was successful executed on the field. Hardeman converted from the spot for another goal - she had the pass that helped setup the penalty kick - and she also had the hockey assist on what I am calling the game-winning goal. Her service into the final third was a huge difference throughout the playoffs for Solar. She is in a league of her own among outside backs. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-streamable wp-block-embed-streamable"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://streamable.com/0c7dpq </div></figure>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='19178' first='Ayva' last='Jordan'], Slammers FC HB Koge 07 - Jordan plays hard and that definitely showed on Monday. She looked unstoppable for parts of the game against some of the best defenders in the country in this age group. It looked like she had some trouble with cramps in the latter stages of the contest, but she put on a dazzling display. The skill and strength on her goal in the first half were incredible for a youth player. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-streamable wp-block-embed-streamable"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://streamable.com/7sze6i </div></figure>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='48333' first='Rylee' last='McLanahan'], Solar 07 - McLanahan delivered the season-saving strike in the final moments of the second half. The attacker hit a picture-perfect corner kick that bended past the goalkeeper and tucked into the net - a Solar player may have got a foot on it before it crossed the line. The late equalizer came with less than a minute left in the contest and sent it into extra time. In Extra Time, she scored a goal on a wonderful set piece routine where she ran over the ball as a decoy, continued her run into the box and ended up in the right spot to finish off the play on an assist from [player_tooltip player_id='26393' first='Ainsley' last='McCammon']. [player_tooltip player_id='27233' first='Sealey' last='Strawn'] and [player_tooltip player_id='26768' first='Hannah' last='Jordan'] had two of their best games of the postseason in this one. And Solar definitely needed it. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-streamable wp-block-embed-streamable"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://streamable.com/girnif </div></figure>   <p>In the 06 age group, SLSG Navy also defended their title with a 4-2 win over Solar in the championship game. The defending champs were all business in the postseason. Their run to the crown included 23 goals scored in the seven victories along the way. </p>   <p>On Monday, it seemed like Solar might be able to keep pace with the SLSG Navy output. [player_tooltip player_id='26916' first='Kennedy' last='Fuller'] scored early to give the Texas side the early lead. And Solar did have the better chances through the opening stages of the game. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-streamable wp-block-embed-streamable"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://streamable.com/265x4b </div></figure>   <p>SLSG Navy has been here before. And the early advantage for Solar disappeared after two set piece goals (one a rebound off a shot from a free kick and the other a penalty kick) gave SLSG Navy the lead in the first half. SLSG netted the game-winner early in the second half as they capitalized on a mistake in the Solar defense. Throughout the postseason, SLSG Navy was incredibly efficient with their chances. </p>   <p>With a two goal cushion, it looked like the sun was setting on Solar knocking off the champs. Solar answered in the second half with Amalia Villarreal scoring one a close shot. But SLSG's star Alexandra Pfeiffer provided a bit of magic before the final whistle. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-streamable wp-block-embed-streamable"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://streamable.com/cj3bg2 </div></figure>   <p>As many teams can attest, it's nearly impossible to come back from a deficit against SLSG Navy. They are so well-coached and make minimal mistakes. If something sneaks through, they have one of the best goalkeepers in the country, Caroline Birkel, as the last resort. It's an impressive team and one that should be in the conversation among best in ECNL history. </p>   <p>Every player who featured on Monday deserves the spotlight and the credit for their contributions to reaching this game that thousands of players dreamed of playing in when the season started back in August. </p>

The ECNL National Championships in the most of the age groups were held on Monday from Richmond, Virginia. With temperatures in the high 90s, the playing conditions definitely tested everyone.