News

RECAP: METROPOLITAN CONFERENCE OPENING WEEKEND

Published Jun 5, 2023
Written By:  Ryan Wood | WPSL Correspondent

 

If the first weekend in the Metropolitan Conference is any indication of how the summer of 2023 is headed then you can expect a boatload of goals, but also with some parity mixed in along the way. The first five games of the conference play produced 24 goals and four shutouts – indicating this division has strikingly good attackers as well as some stubborn backlines.
 

All eyes were on the first game of the weekend as Downtown United Soccer Club looked to extend its two-year unbeaten run and DUSC did just that after a 5-0 win on the home grounds of Poly Prep against New York Athletic Club.
 

“(That) was a great start to the season. Being able to go out the first game and have a dominant performance will help our team’s confidence going forward,” Tara Heatley, DUSC head coach, said.
 

Kelsey Burr, a Southern Connecticut State University product, helped lead the charge on the attack with two goals and three assists.
 

“Kelsey Burr had a great game being involved in every goal,” Heatley said. “Along with our backline not only recording a shutout but being a big piece in our attack with our outside back Sydney Cradle (Towson University) getting two assists.”
 

In addition to Burr and Cradle, three additional goals came from Kat Jordan (Columbia), Isabelle Glennon (Dartmouth), and Hilary Cornet (Gettysburg). DUSC returns to action Wednesday night, hitting the road to take on STA, which split a pair of games over the weekend.
 

STA opened its campaign in commanding fashion by handing visitors New York Dutch Lions FC a 7-0 defeat at FDU Florham Park Campus. Sofia Black (Indiana) led the way with a pair of goals and one assist.
 

“It was a great start to the season with a convincing win in front of our home crowd,” Ylon Krauweel, STA head coach said. “We were excellent in creating chances and scoring some real impressive team goals.”
 

STA also saw goals from Aoi Kataoka (George Washington), Emerson Elgin (University of North Carolina), Kelly Monaco (Indiana), and Cate Woolsey (Middlebury).
 

Unfortunately for STA, the New Jersey side ran into a team one could argue is currently the hottest club in the Metropolitan Conference – SUSA – on the day after and came up on the short end of a 3-1 game.
 

“It was a very entertaining game with a lot of chances for both sides, but unfortunately we fell short converting ours,” Krauweel said.
 

Before meeting STA, SUSA came out and certainly impressed in its first game of the season as it handed last year’s second-place finishers, Brooklyn City F.C., a 2-0 defeat. Brianna Ditilllo (Wingate) scored one goal and one assist while Mackenzie Stickelman (Boston University) added the second goal.

 

After starting the season with a 5-0 loss to defending champs DUSC, NYAC bounced back to beat New York Dutch Lions FC, 6-0, on Sunday at Asphalt Green. Andrea O’Brien paced the attack with a pair of goals. Julia Cairns, Tia Saade (Stevens), and Belle Golden (Yale) added one goal each.
 

Week two of Metropolitan Conference action gets underway Wednesday as STA hosts DUSC, followed by games Thursday (Brooklyn City FC vs. SUSA FC), Friday (DUSC vs. New York Dutch Lions FC), Saturday (NJ Wizards SC vs. Brooklyn City FC), and Sunday (NJ Wizards SC vs. NYAC and STA vs. SUSA FC).