Scorpions 2007 ECNL Regional team has advanced to the ECNL Regional National Final in Richmond, VA this Monday, July 17! 

After advancing to the Northeast Regional Championships and winning the Northeast Title against local conference rivals CFC, Scorpions 07 ECNL Regional booked a ticket to the National Finals in Richmond, VA this weekend. 

First game vs San Diego Surf ECNL Regional resulted in an empathic 4-0 win before beating a near perfect team in FC Dallas 3-1 in the final four to reach the National Championship. Head Coach and Scorpions College Director Andre Reis said both games were ‘a total team effort’. 

“ We wouldn’t have advanced to the final without the contributions of every single player on the team. Defensively the team has been stellar, only conceding 1 goal in two games. Offensively the team has been extremely clinical and has finished when the opportunity has risen. Set pieces have been key to both wins, and it is a part of the game that generally gets overlooked at the youth level.”

In the 4-0 win vs San Diego Surf, the first two goals came off of setpieces, the first being an excellent corner by Kaitlyn Coutu and the second being off of a free kick deep in the opponent’s defensive third. Emma Gavin, the tall and dominant center back for the team, got on the end of both and headed them home. The other two goals came off of two amazing shots from outside of the box, one from the teams attacking midfielder Abby Costa and the other from winger Brenda Murphy to finish the game off. 

Against FC Dallas, set pieces were key again, even more so than the first game as all three goals came directly off of set pieces. The first coming off of a long throw finished by Abby Costa, the second off of a corner kick served in by Abby Costa and headed in by Lila Wilcox, and the third was scored directly from the corner by Abby Costa.   

A team oriented approach has always been what has guided this team to success over the course of the year, but different players and different groups within the team have stepped up and answered the call when called upon. 

“In goal, Janiya has been lights out making every save look easy, dealing with crosses and catching basically everything that has been hit at her. The back line had so much to deal with and they didn't put a foot wrong. The midfield has been excellent on the defensive end as well, while in possession they have had the ability to be very efficient in breaking lines and creating goal scoring opportunities for the forwards. The forward line has put in a ton of work on both sides of the ball. Defensively, dropping into the midfield when needed and offensively they have been able to keep the opponents defense honest by always being ready to get in behind in transition. Kendra Santiago has the ability up front to create something out of nothing by always being on the last defender and using her strength to hold up the ball or stretch the game herself.”

The opponents were not the only obstacle in the way for the Scorpions team as weather and playing conditions were brutally unforgiving throughout the weekend as coach Andre reflected on the team's ability to adapt to the conditions. 

“Playing in these conditions against two hot weather climate teams has definitely been a challenge but the girls bought in and left it all on the field. The season kicked off in late November in the snow and now we're playing in the blistering sun eight months later, the girls haven’t batted an eyelash and have pushed through all external factors. I’m extremely proud of them for showing that type of grit.”

As the team prepares for the National Final on Monday morning, Coach Andre reflects on the opportunity they have in front of them and how he feels the girls will approach the game. 

“Heading into the final we will be facing another strong opponent in Missouri Rush. I know that the effort, desire and fight our girls have shown in post season play will be there again on Monday. We are 5-0 in Postseason play, scoring 12 goals and conceding just 2, it has truly been a remarkable run.  We need to control the controllables and try to make the least amount of mistakes as possible when dealing with the excitement of a championship game. We don’t want to change who we are and what we do as I want the girls to enjoy it. They have earned the right to be one of two remaining teams in the entire country and I couldn’t be any more proud of what they have done. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, last year we didn’t even make the Northeast playoffs and here we are in the National finals a year later. It’s exciting and Monday's game is something we are all looking forward to!”