Ricardo Niebla

HENDERSON, Nev. – The RSL-AZ U-16 Elite team participated in the 2014 Las Vegas Players College Showcase this past weekend.

For a full run down on all the weekends action, check out the recaps below. Season stats at bottom of page.

 

Match #1: RSL-AZ U-16 Elite vs. San Diego FA (group play)

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RSL-AZ U-16 Elite opened up the LVPCS with a 0-1 loss to San Diego FA on Friday morning at Heritage Park. San Diego FA scored the match-winning goal in the 27th-minute when a free kick took a dive in the box. It took two deflections before an unmarked SDFA finished the chance with a header. Throughout the match RSL had their chances, but couldn’t find the right combination in the final third. Aristotle Zarris had the Claret-and-Cobalt’s first look in the 19th-minute when he stripped a defender and charged at the net before he fired wide. Midway through the second half, Ryan Flood charged up the middle and played to Robby Orona. He then sent in a low cross to Gio Alcocer, who redirected the ball wide. With five minutes remaining, Alcocer fired a bomb from outside the box. The goalkeeper struggled to collect the shot, but quickly recovered and smothered the ball before an opportunistic Robby Orona was able to pounce of the chance. RSL’s goalkeeper Austin Najib was busy and came up with a handful of saves including two 1v1 stops.

Match #2: RSL-AZ U-16 Elite vs. West Coast FC (group play)

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For the second straight match RSL-AZ U-16 Elite allowed a first half set piece goal, which ultimately doomed them in a 0-2 loss to West Coast FC on Friday night. Three minutes into the match, a WCFC corner was originally saved by Jared ” Hollywood” Osgood. WCFC was quick to react and hammered a header into the back of the net. WCFC would then  double their lead late in the second half. RSL failed to create chances in the first half and saw a number of opportunities  wasted in the second half. Alejandro Parra and Mikey Lanzetta each had look, but fired their chance over the crossbar. The loss eliminated RSL from the LVPCS U-16 Bellagio championship match.

Match #3: RSL-AZ U-16 Elite vs. ISC St. Tomas (group play)

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RSL-AZ U-16 Elite closed out group play with a dramatic come-from-behind draw in which they equalized the match twice in the second half against ISC St. Tomas on Saturday night. Minutes before the halftime break a questionable red card was shown to RSL center back Marcos Hernandez. Playing with 10-men for the majority of the match, RSL looked to grab the lead in the 51st-minute on a Ryan Flood goal, but he was called offside after he finished his effort far post. Ten minutes later, ISC scored the opening goal, but saw their celebration short-lived as Aristotle Zarris dribbled through the entire ISC defense after the restart. He cut two defenders outside the box, cut in and finished far post for a spectacular goal. Two minutes later ISC went down to 10-men when RSL countered. Diego Robles ran up to the ball and was clipped from behind resulting in the straight red. ISC shrugged off the card and took back the lead in the 74th-minute. As the match entered the 80th-minute, Ricardo Niebla bombed a ball over the top and into the ISC box. The goalkeeper ran out and collided with a ISC defender. Robles ran up, collected the loose ball and calmly fired the shot into the empty net for the match equalizer.

Match #4: RSL-AZ U-16 Elite vs. Scottsdale Blackhawks (playoff consolation)

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After closing out group play with a 0-2-1 showing, RSL-AZ U-16 was slotted into a playoff consolation match against Scottsdale Blackhawks in which they suffered an 0-1 loss on Sunday afternoon. Eleven minutes into the match, Blackhawks scored the match-winner on a cross-and-header. Down a goal early, RSL struggled to find a rhythm throughout the match and failed to create chances in the final third. The only other threat for both sides came in the 55th-minute when a free kick was blocked by RSL goalkeeper Austin Najib before Austin Tucker cleared the chance. RSL closed out the LVPCS with a 0-3-1 record.

RSL-AZ U-16 Elite: Tournament play, Arizona State League, Far West Regional (39 matches) UNOFFICIAL

Goalkeeper	Clean Sheets
Javi Avelar	1
Conor Orton	5
Jared Osgood	2
Marcel Ruzan	4

RSL-AZ U-16 Elite	Goals	Assists
Gio Alcocer	5	2
Josh Allison	3	1
Javi Avelar	6	2
Ryan Flood	9	2
Kris “Haiti” Fourcand	4	1
Marcos Hernandez	1
Mikey Lanzetta	5	1
Ricardo Niebla	1
Robby Orona	7
Alejandro Parra	7	16
Patrick Ring	1	1
Diego Robles	18	5
Ethan Shacknai	1	1
Duncan Storey		3
Austin Tucker	5
Alex Valdez		2
Erik “Gallo” Virgen	5	6
Aristotle Zarris	3	1
Zane Zarris		1