ECLIPSE SELECT WEEKEND REVIEW: LAS VEGAS MAYOR’S CUP AND ECNL NATIONAL EVENT TEXAS

Boys are victorious in Las Vegas; Girls well showcased in Texas

CHICAGO (Feb. 20, 2018) – The Eclipse Select Soccer Club traveled to two separate showcases out west with nine total teams this past weekend from Feb. 17-19. Three boys teams flew to the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup International Showcase and six girls teams competed at the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) National Showcase Event in Texas. The Boys 2006 Eclipse Select Black Naperville team finished as runners-up of the Boys U-12 (2006) Chapman Auto Group while the Boys 2004 Eclipse Select Black Naperville capped off an undefeated tournament as champions of the Boys U-14 (2004) Chapman Auto Group in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Boys 2004 Eclipse Select Black Naperville team rolled through the competition in the group stage going undefeated with a 3-0-0 record outscoring their opponents 8-0.  More of the same came in the knockout stage of the tournament as they won the quarterfinal 2-0 and the semifinal 1-0 as goalkeeper Isasias Rubio (Northlake, Ill.) recorded six consecutive shutouts.

The championship match took a goal from the penalty mark taken by Colin Bastianoni (Naperville, Ill.) and a shutout from Rubio to decide the outcome. Bastianoni drew the penalty and converted it in the 32nd minute of the first half to break the scoreless deadlock. The Naperville squad saw out the remaining 37 minutes take first prize in the U-14 Chapman Auto Group.

The Boys 2006 Eclipse Select Black Naperville closely followed suit to the 2004 boys by dominating the group and knockout stages. They held a 5-0 record outscoring their opponents 19-2 leading up to the final. The championship match versus Pumas USA Kickers FC was a back-and-forth affair throughout the entire match.

The Pumas scored first at the seventh minute and Alvaro Alanis (Aurora, Ill.) quickly tied it up a minute later with from a pass from Carlos Lopez (Dekalb, Ill.). In the second half, Kamden Held (Naperville, Ill.) gave Eclipse its first lead in the 47th minute assisted by Divinci Huitron (Oswego, Ill.). They could not hold on, however, as the Pumas tied the game with five minutes left to send it to overtime.

The closely contested match took a penalty kick shootout in the end to decide the outcome. Eclipse Select came up just short in penalties losing to the Pumas 3-1. The Naperville squad concluded a fantastic tournament as U-12 (2006) Chapman Auto Group runners-up.

The Boys 2006 Eclipse Select White Naperville group went undefeated in the group stages of the U-12 (2006) Adidas Division with a 3-0-1 overall record. The Eclipse Select outscored their opponents 21-2 but were snubbed of a knockout stage berth coming up just short on goals against to advance.

In Texas, the Girls U-15 Eclipse Select ECNL were the weekend’s top performers for the girl’s program winning all three games. The U-15’s forward Jenna Stayart (Cary, Ill.) tallied two goals and an assist while Abigail Kalou (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Sophia Jaime (Valparaiso, Ind.) contributed a pair of goals each over the course of the weekend.

The Girls Eclipse Select U-13 U.S. Club and U-16 ECNL teams had productive weekends themselves at the Texas National Event. The U-13’s finished with a 2-1-0 record while the U-16’s went undefeated going 1-0-2 over the course of three days.