PDL Feature

Friday, November 20, 2015

The 2015 NCAA College Cup was in full swing Thursday as a bevy of current and former PDL players played key roles in helping their teams advance to Sunday’s second round. Here is a rundown of the key performances:

Rozhansky’s goal, assist pace Virginia against Rider: Coming off the bench to log only 45 minutes, D.C. United U23 midfielder Jake Rozhansky made the most of his time. Rozhansky scored a goal and provided an assist to lead the Cavaliers to a 2-0 victory against Rider at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.

In the 68th minute, Rozhansky set up Virginia’s first tally by Reading United AC alum Marcus Salandy-Defour – a right-footed drive from outside the box that he buried into the upper corner of the net. Rozhansky then found the scoring column in the waning minutes, tapping home his fourth goal of the season in the 88th minute.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell (Sounders FC U23) made five saves for his seventh clean sheet of the season, and Virginia will now face 10th-seeded Maryland on Sunday in the second round.

Bronico carries Charlotte past Radford: Former Carolina Dynamo midfielderBrandt Bronico scored the winning goal and assisted his team’s other tally as Charlotte defeated Radford 2-1 on Thursday at Transamerica Field in Charlotte, N.C. Bronico set up Luke Waechter’s tally in the 42nd minute, notching his team-leading 10th assist of the season. After Radford’s Jamie Summers responded with the equalizer in the 60th minute, Bronico came up big again, this time with the winner in the 84th minute.

“Hans [Honer] put a good cross in and parks threw his body in front of the ball, which was very brave by him,” Bronico said of the buildup toward his goal during the postgame press conference. “Luckily for me, the ball fell to me and I saw a gap between [Kyle] Parker and the keeper, and just slid it back post, so I was fortunate to get the goal.”

Goalkeeper Austin Pack (Carolina Dynamo) made a save during the victory, which advances the 49ers to the second round against the tournament’s top-seeded Wake Forest on Sunday.

McIntosh, Santa Clara blank CSU Fullerton: Santa Clara goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh (Burlingame Dragons FC) came up with six saves and the clean sheet as the Broncos defeated CSU Fullerton 3-0 in Thursday’s opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The co-WCC Goalkeeper of the Year had some strong offensive support in the early going, including a 37th-minute goal from All-CCC First Team selectionCarlos Delgadillo (Des Moines Menace), whose tap-in goal was his 10th of the season.

“I love the work ethic of our guys to get one after another,” Delgadillo said. “When we’re in the final third, we have guys committed to putting the ball in the back of the net. When your front five is willing to get after teams and do everything possible to score, it’s a great feeling to have that support.”

Next up for Santa Clara is No. 8-seeded Stanford in the second round on Sunday.

Sendin notches clutch goal, Dayton advances: Dayton’s Carlos Sendin (Albuquerque Sol F.C.) scored a crucial equalizer in the 72nd minute and his side would go on to defeat Oakland 4-3 in a penalty kick shootout Thursday in the tournament’s first round. Sendin found the lower left corner of the frame for his fifth goal of the season as the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime and the shootout. For Oakland, Matt Dudley (Des Moines Menace) assisted both goals in regulation to Matt Rickard in the eighth minute and Austin Ricci in the 23rd as the Golden Grizzlies quickly built a 2-0 lead. Dayton advances to face Ohio State in the second round of the tournament on Sunday.

Greczek saves 3 PKs, leads Rutgers past LIU Brooklyn: Former Jersey Express goalkeeper David Greczek saved four of five shots on frame during regulation and overtime, but his biggest highlights came in the penalty kick shootout. Greczek saved three of the five PKs from LIU Brooklyn and his side won the shootout 3-2 to advance to the second round. The teams were tied at 1-1 through overtime. Rutgers will now face fourth-seeded Akron on Sunday.

Vale tallies winner for UCLA: UCLA senior midfielder Jordan Vale (Ventura County Fusion) scored a second-half goal as the Bruins defeated Cal Poly 2-0 on Thursday at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles. Vale’s winner came in the 59th minute a header off of a corner kick assist. UCLA also benefited from an own goal in the 77th minute to create some distance the rest of the way. Next up for UCLA is No. 11 Seattle on Sunday.

Bartlett, Drake edge Kentucky: Drake’s Alec Bartlett (Des Moines Menace)scored a 19th-minute goal and the Bulldogs defeated Kentucky 2-1 in first-round play. Former K-W United FC goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod made three saves as Drake advanced to face 12th-seeded Creighton on Sunday. For Kentucky, senior goalkeeper Callum Irving (Vancouver Whitecaps FC U23) came up with five saves.

Dee, Tulsa top FIU in OT: Tulsa sophomore Geoffrey Dee (Portland Timbers U-23s) scored an unassisted goal and the Golden Hurricane advanced past FIU 3-2 in overtime on Thursday. Dee’s 56th-minute goal gave Tulsa a 2-1 lead at the time. FIU’s Brad Fountain (Reading United AC) tied the score at 2-2 in the 82nd minute to force, and it took less than five minutes in the extra session for Tulsa to net the winner. Tulsa next faces No. 7 Notre Dame in Sunday’s second round.

FC London alum Deakin, S. Carolina move on: South Carolina advanced past Furman 2-1 in a penalty kick shootout to set up Sunday’s second-round clash against UC Santa Barbara. Before the shootout, former Forest City London midfielder and Gamecocks junior Danny Deakin scored the game’s opening goal in the 58th minute. Deakin has carried South Carolina all season with a team-leading 11 goals.

Misc. notes: Former AC Connecticut midfielder Sebastian Brems assisted the winning goal during Connecticut’s 3-1 comeback victory against Boston on Thursday, the opening match of the 2015 NCAA College Cup. The UConn junior’s side trailed 1-0 early in the second half, but the Huskies responded with three unanswered scores. Brems assisted the first of two goals from Kwame Awuah in the 76th minute to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead. Connecticut will now face No. 16 Indiana on Sunday in the second round. … Hofstra senior goalkeeper Patric Pray (Jersey Express) made five saves as his side defeated Lehigh 2-1 in overtime on Thursday. The Pride will now prepare for Georgetown on Sunday. … Real Boston Rams alumna Zeiko Lewis assisted Simon Enstrom’s goal and Boston College defeated Vermont 1-0. The Eagles face No. 14 South Florida on Sunday in the second round. … Dartmouth’s Stefan Cleveland (Dayton Dutch Lions FC) made two saves and earned a shutout as his side blanked Hartwick 1-0 in overtime. Dartmouth will now take on sixth-seeded Syracuse on Sunday.