The Sporting Kansas City Academy U-18s and U-16s returned to winning ways on Saturday, sweeping Solar Chelsea SC in a doubleheader at Mohawk Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Both sides had suffered their first losses of the 2016-17 USSDA campaign two weeks earlier to defending national champions FC Dallas, but bounced back over the weekend with victories against their Dallas-based opponents. U.S. youth international Felipe Hernandez continued his excellent run of form with two goals to spark the U-18s' 3-0 victory. The U-16s followed suit with a 2-1 triumph of their own, receiving goals from Colin Innes and Gada Ambo.
A busy Academy weekend also saw the Sporting KC U-14s and U-13s compete at the USSDA Regional Showcase, running Friday through Sunday at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. The teams combined for just one loss in six games, with the U-14s going 2-1-0 and the U-13s earning three draws.
Sporting KC U-18s 3, Solar Chelsea SC 0
Saturday's win propelled the Sporting KC U-18s (5-1-0, 15 points) to third place in the Frontier Division of the Central Conference. Jon Parry's side took the lead in the 22nd minute through Camilo Benitez, who fired home after Joe Corner did well to force a turnover in the attacking third. Hernadez doubled the advantage four minutes later, catching goalkeeper Joseph Boehm off his line with a sublime finish from long range. The U-18s continued to dominate proceedings and added a third in the 78th minute when Chase Bromstedt's quick free kick caught Solar off guard, giving Hernandez the simplest of finishes.
Goalkeepers Steve Tekesky and Alec Wons combined for the clean sheet, while another great offensive outing lifted Sporting KC atop the Central Conference scoring charts with 20 goals.
Sporting KC U-16s 2, Solar Chelsea SC 1
A narrow victory lifted the Sporting KC U-16s (4-1-1, 13 points) to second place in the Frontier Division. Innes gave Josh Gardner's team a dream start, slotting just inside the far post to complete an incisive attack involving Abdu Kikhia and Cameron Duke. Kikhia and Mason Visconti came close on either side of halftime before Ambo effectively sealed the result on 70 minutes, running onto a through ball from Innes and applying a cool finish. Solar grabbed one back two minutes later through Moiad Ankir, but the U-16s held their lead to the final whistle.
USSDA Regional Showcase: U-14s win two of three
The Sporting KC U-14s won two of three games in the USSDA Regional Showcase at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. A superb start to the tournament saw the U-14s douse the Chicago Fire 3-0 on Saturday morning behind goals from Ethan Armbruster, Tyler Freeman and Caden Nicholson. Later that afternoon, the U-14s rounded out a perfect day with a 4-2 win over Internationals. Gianluca Busio bagged a brace, while Gabe Ramos and Kam Han also found the back of the net.
Sporting KC fell short of a perfect weekend with a 2-1 defeat to the Houston Dynamo on Sunday morning. Ramos scored for the second straight game, equalizing early in the second half, but Houston emerged victorious with a 65th-minute winner.
USSDA Regional Showcase: U-13s finish weekend unbeaten
The Sporting KC U-13s went unbeaten in three games at Grand Park, earning three draws while conceding just a single goal. The club played twice on Friday, battling Toronto FC to a scoreless stalemate before tying Real Colorado 1-1 on a goal from Osvaldo Cisneros. The U-13s finished up Saturday with another 0-0 result against Columbus Crew SC as goalkeeper Tommy Williams posted his second shutout of the weekend.
UP NEXT: Sporting KC hosts Texas Rush on Saturday
The U-18s and U-16s return to action this Saturday when they face Texas Rush in a doubleheader at Swope Soccer Village. Both games are free and open to the public, with the U-18s kicking off at 8 a.m. CT and the U-16s taking the field at 10:15 a.m. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates.
