ECNL Girls Finals Spotlight – 2009 Richmond United

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2009 Richmond United girls squad was in action this past weekend at the ECNL Finals, held in Richmond, VA. This event is a culmination of the season, where the final 8 teams in each age group play in a knockout style format, to crown the National Champion. How did these Richmond United girls get here, you ask? Let's quickly go over it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These RU girls boasted an impressive record in the 2022-23 season, with 21 wins, 2 ties, and a single loss to Loudon, back in November. They finished at the top of the Mid-Atlantic conference with 65 points, seven points clear of the 2nd place team, easily qualifying for the ECNL Playoffs that took place in San Diego at the end of June.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In San Diego, Richmond drew a group with FSA FC (2nd place from the New England Conference), Bay Area Surf (3rd place from the NorCal Conference), and Seattle United (3rd place from the Northwest Conference). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RU took care of FSA FC by a score of 4-1 and Bay Area Surf 5-2. Seattle United also beat both of those teams 3-2, setting up for a dramatic final group game between Richmond United and Seattle. RU went into that last group game with a huge advantage. Their +6 goal differential had them at the top of the group, only needing a tie to move on, without worrying about any tie-breaker or best 2nd-place scenarios. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seattle fought hard, but could not break through the Richmond defense, as that final group game ended in a scoreless draw, giving RU a ticket to the round of 16. Seattle would also move on to the round of 16, as one of the top second-place group finishers. In the round of 16, Richmond United would face a familiar foe in VDA. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VDA finished second on the season in the ECNL Mid-Atlantic (with 58 points). Richmond beat VDA 3-2 in the Fall. The most recent league meeting between these two took place in February, in Richmond, and ended in a 2-2 draw. This time, Richmond United would prevail again, earning them their ticket to the ECNL Finals, back home. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":143256,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/07/IMG-3211-1-crop-1699x1116-1689610313.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-143256" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">West Creek Park - Site of the 2023 ECNL Girls Finals</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Richmond drew Slammers HC FB Koge from California in the quarterfinal round. Slammers HC finished 3rd in the regular season in the Southwest - Sonoran Conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Slammers HC and RU played a tough first half. The score was 0-0 at the break, but Slammers had gone down to 10 players after a first half red card. In the second half, the teams went back and forth, with the first goal coming on an RU penalty kick by [player_tooltip player_id='157478' first='Ana' last='Tornabene'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/fe_7yaT6XFg","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/fe_7yaT6XFg </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Slammers best chance came on an indirect free kick, but RU keeper, [player_tooltip player_id='110270' first='Audra' last='Scholtz'], showed off her quick reflexes to keep it out of the net. Slammers fought hard, but could not find a goal. Richmond ended up taking the game 2-0. Second goal was scored by Mia Washburn.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a quick rest, the 09 RU Girls would be back at West Creek on Saturday to take on PDA Blue, a New Jersey club that had gone undefeated in their regular season in the North Atlantic Conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PDA Blue dominated possession early and had some good chances. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first half RU goalkeeper, Josephine Smalley, had some wonderful saves during this early period, and also showed great command of the area on corners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":143267,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/07/IMG-6607-1.jpg?w=744" alt="" class="wp-image-143267" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Josephine "Josie" Smalley</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Richmond center back, [player_tooltip player_id='110271' first='Annabel' last='Sharrer'] was composed and intelligent defensively, cutting out various PDA Blue attacks. Sharrer was also communicating instructions to her team, making sure they kept their shape defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":143272,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/07/image_50802177.jpg?w=995" alt="" class="wp-image-143272" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='110271' first='Annabel' last='Sharrer']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='110227' first='Piper' last='Burke'] was instrumental in the Richmond squad working their way into the game and finding some possession in the opposing half. She continued to come back to the ball, giving her teammates an option in a crowded midfield, and did a wonderful job distributing once she received it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":143262,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/07/IMG-6646-1.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-143262" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='110227' first='Piper' last='Burke']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='110268' first='Kylie' last='Osborne'] showed off tons of pace, getting up and down the field to help on defense and connect with the attack. Osborne made a couple of long runs with the ball, leaving defenders behind and putting pressure on the PDA back line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":143277,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/07/IMG-6655.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-143277" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='110268' first='Kylie' last='Osborne']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PDA Blue found the back of the net just before the halftime break to go up 1-0. Richmond United fought hard the entire second half to try to find an equalizer, but could not. Coach Greg Boehme got every bit of passion and hard work out of his RU team, fighting until the very end of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PDA Blue went on to win the U14/2009 National Championship on Monday, 2-1 over the San Diego Surf. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This 09 RU squad's U14 campaign was over. The dream of lifting the trophy at the end of the ECNL Finals ended up just out of reach. A long season, including a cross country trip to earn a spot all the way back in Richmond for a chance at a National Championship, was finished. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a season to celebrate, though. All of the wins, goals, saves, slide tackles, celebrations, and meals shared together. If I learned one thing from watching this team for just a couple of days - they will feel like they belong back at ECNL Finals in 2024...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->