The U17 and U19 Boys’ soccer team recently made their way across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont for the Far Post Showcase. Coming off a great start to the season in Puerto Rico, the boys were excited for their first showcase back. The Northwood Soccer team split into three teams for this 8-per-side showcase, 2 x U17 teams and one U19 team.
On Day 1 of the showcase, the U17-1s were set to face High Mowing U17 and Far Post U17, the U17-2s were set to face Far Post U17 and High Mowing U17, and the 19s were set to face High Mowing U19 and Far Post FC U19. The 17-1s went 2-0 to start the showcase. They beat High Mowing U17 5-0 with an energetic performance and did not slow down as they beat Far Post FC U17 6-1. The U17-2s also beat High Mowing U17 with a final score of 5-2 and drew 2-2 to Far Post U17 in a tight game. The U19s went 2-0 with a very tough 4-3 win over High Mowing U19 and cruised to a 3-0 win against Far Post FC U19 in a very comfortable win.
After a successful first day of the showcase, all three teams were pumped and excited for Day 2. The teams had their last group stage matches before seeing who would advance to the final game of the showcase. The U17-1 squad had a much-anticipated game against the U17-2 team to see who will top the table and advance to the final game. The U17-2 team came out strong and energetic with a 2-0 lead, wanting to prove themselves against their older teammates. The U17-1 team was putting relentless pressure on the U17-2s, looking for any angle to shoot from, but the U17-2 team held off and maintained their excellent organization and defensive grit for most of the game. As the end of the game approached, the U17-2 team finally broke the barrier with a second goal following soon after.
Coach Moodey referred to the U17-2 team as “Hungry and willing to do a lot to prove everyone wrong and beat the U17-1s”. Coach Martinez also commented on the game: “It was good to see both teams competing with each other and showing fight.” After the well-fought battle came to an end, the U17-1 team was named winners of their group as they only needed a draw to maintain that top position. The U19s suited up against Sea Coast U19 and needed a win to top their group, as they were down by a goal difference. After a very tight first 25 minutes of constant defending from Sea Coast, the U19s finally broke the deadlock, slotting one past Sea Coast. Following their first goal, the U19s went on to put 4 more past the Sea Coast defense.
As both the U17-1 team and the U19s topped their groups, they would go on to meet in the final game to decide the winner of the Far Post Showcase. The U17-1s vs. the U19s was a much-anticipated game; it was present vs future, and the U19s felt they needed to put their younger teammates in their place. The U19s did just that, with the final score being 5-0. The U19s ended the showcase with Andres Viteri ’23 being the top scorer with 5 goals, Junior Happi ‘23 in second with 4 goals, and Ean Malay ‘23 with 2. Given the U17-1 team had to play the final straight after the tough match against their U17-2 teammates, it was clear there was fatigue in the younger group.
The U19s were crowned champions of the Far Post Showcase, making the Northwood- Black Rock U19s three-time champions. Both U17s teams played great and had a successful weekend but ultimately fell short. Coach Moodey was happy with the weekend’s performances and how the team kept momentum from Puerto Rico. For the teams, the focus now shifts to next weekend.
