Seacoast and South Central Meet in NE Battle

New Hampshire and Connecticut Clubs Clash in Dev. Academy

March 26, 2008

Two of New England’s entries in the US Development Academy meet last weekend for the first time when New Hampshire’s Seacoast United traveled to Connecticut’s South Central Premier for a U-15/16 match-up.

Seacoast got a goal each half and their U-15/16 squad picked up their second Development Academy win, 2-0, to keep themselves in the midst of a tightly contested Northeast Conference.

“It was one of the best games of our season since coming back from the Winter Showcase,” said Seacoast United head coach John Price. “We played well today. Every player did their individual jobs so it was a professionally played game from our standpoint.”

The two teams’ U17/18 squads also met, with South Central prevailing, 6-1, in a game also played that Saturday.

In the U15/16 game fought mostly in the midfield, Seacoast’s Ryan Dunn stood out for his defense and decision making, and in the 30th minute he provided the 1-0 advantage after what looked to be a missed opportunity on a corner kick. South Central had cleared the ball away, but the right-footed midfielder fired a shot with his left that sailed into the upper corner.

The teams continued to battle, with both earning their respective chances. Price credits his forwards’ pace for creating a majority of their scoring opportunities, especially down the wings, which helped set up the second goal of the game, which came in the 70th minute. Josh Vlasich received the ball from 25 yards out, beat a pair of defenders and curled a shot from the left side of the box into the lower right corner, making the score 2-0.

The Seacoast defense, led by newly-converted right back Doug Crow, did the rest, shutting down any threats from South Central and keeping their shutout intact.

Seacoast continues its Northeast Conference campaign on March 29 and 30, hosting Albertson and B/W Gottschee, respectively. South Central, who fell to 3-3-1 on the season, travels to Met Oval and FC Westchester.