For the first time of the fall season Philadelphia Union Academy were playing on two fronts with the older sides away at Nashville SC while the youngest DOOPers put on a scoring clinic against West Virginia Soccer.
The Baby Snakes Back at WSFS Bank Sportsplex
The U14s were back in action in Chester as they walked away with a dominant 12-0 win against West Virginia SC. Four goals from Jayden Kouadio, two from Liam Holtzman, two from Collin Fulham, and a goal each from Micah Casey, Javi Linares, Hayes Cooney, and Miles Smith saw the Baby Snakes take a promosiing three points. Sean Corbet also had a strong game as the Baby Snakes stay unbeaten in MLS NEXT league play. Head Coach Phil Karn applauded his teams effort and emphasised the importance of playing with togetherness, as the team gave their opponent almost nothing to pounce on.
The U13s wrapped up a dominant home display by the club with a matching 12-0 scoreline against the side from West Virginia. Ethan Wirtz, Tyler Anderson, Samuel Mendes, Joey Schottlander, and Evan Roberts all played fantasic games as they helped the team outclass West Virginia. The defense also highlighed their skill as the limited the opposition to one goal. Head coach Willy Topp applauded his team's mentality to come out in the second half swinging, as the Baby Snakes build confidence going into the next set of matches on the horizon.
The Baby Snakes Split Nashville SC results
The U17s kicked off the first of two games in the Music City as they beat Nashville SC 3-1. The Baby Snakes got off to an early lead with a goal scored by Anisse Saidi in the 3rd minute. After a quiet first half, two quick goals by Jamir Johnson in the 55th and Kellan LeBlanc in the 58th all but wrapped up the game for Union. Zach Mastrodimos also had strong performances as the team took all three points on the road. Despite the one goal, the team performed well in defense as they kept their mentality focused on walking away with the win.
Meanwhile the U15s hit their first bump in the road for their 2023-24 campaign falling by a 5-1 margin. Lewis Dawley provided the lone goal for the Boys in Blue but were undone by an early penalty kick by the hosts that set the momentum early for Nashville SC. Despite the result there were strong performances from Timoni Gbalajobi, Aaron Wesseh, and Max Karl as the team fought to get back into the contest until the final whistle. While the team may not have won the three points, Head Coach Henry Apaloo praised his team for maintaining the energy for the entire game. The Baby Snakes will look to quickly rebound, as they head back home to Chester to take on Springfield SC.
