Keegan Mullins of the Columbus Express 2007 Boys Orange team plays a long ball against Steel City FC during the Blue Chip Showcase in Cincinnati.
Submitted photo
A few of the Columbus Express Soccer Club teams are gaining steam as they tune up for its State Cup and Presidents Cup tournaments.
Late last month, several Express teams played in the Crossroads Showcase at Grand Park in Westfield and the Blue Chip Showcase in Cincinnati. Express teams combined for a 20-6-4 record with a 60-31 goal differential and 11 shutouts in 30 matches.
“It’s a good environment to play in,” Express director of coaching Ty Smith said. “You’re playing teams from all over the Midwest. It’s designed for showcasing talent in front of college coaches. You’re playing teams you’re not playing in your league or state association, so they’re seeing competition that they’re not going to see regularly.”
The 2005 Boys Orange team, coached by Smith, went 6-0 over the two weekends winning the Crossroads Showcase and finishing runner-up at Blue Chip.
At Crossroads, the team opened the weekend with a 3-0 shutout over Club Ohio. Gui Silva, Nico Gotoh and Flynn Keele scored goals; and Nathan Imlay, Aidan Whitley and Eli Miller had assists. In the second match, Express defeated Michigan Stars 4-0. Gotoh scored the game-winner off of a Christian Cardoso assist. Miller added three insurance goals — two from Obed Oliva passes. Oscar Ballinas and Max Grewe combined for shutouts in both matches. In the final match, the Express beat United FC Michigan 5-2. JD Sever redirected a Keele cross. The scoring continued with a United FC own-goal, two goals by Whitley and an unassisted strike by Oliva. Keele had two assists.
“We had been waiting for their best performance,” Smith said. “We hadn’t had a complete weekend yet. We put together a couple games where we played well one half but not the other. We changed the way we defended, and we attacked more. It was finally the culmination of putting things together and playing consecutive halves.”
The Columbus Express 2005 Boys Orange team went 6-0 to win the Crossroads Showcase in Westfield and finish runner-up at Blue Chip Showcase in Cincinnati. Team members include, front row from left, Anthony Johnson, Flynn Keele, Elliot Cook, Nathan Bennett, Obed Oliva, Nico Gotoh, Misaki Takemoto; and back row, coach Ty Smith, JD Sever, Justin Sylva, Gui Silva, Sam Chandler, Nathan Imlay, Christian Cardoso, Eli Miller, Aidan Whitley, Oscar Ballinas and Max Grewe.
Submitted photo
In the Blue Chip, Express beat Jahbhat FC 2-1 in the opener. The first tally for Express came after Sever regained possession and went 80 yards ending with an Imlay-to-Oliva goal. The game-winner came late in the match when Cardoso hit a 30-yard left foot bomb. Express then blanked Barca Academy 4-0. Whitley found Silva slipping through the defense for the game-winner. Keele added two unassisted goals, and Oliva returned the favor to Imlay a day later for the fourth and final goal. Ballinas and Grewe combined for the shutout.
Team Challenger, a Midwest League opponent, was the final opponent for the Express 05 Boys. After going up 2-0 thanks to a Whitley strike and Miller racing through the backline for a goal, Team Challenger was forced to play with 10-men after an ejection on a tackle on Silva. Silva continued and scored in the second half. Whitley found net again for his second of the match, and Misaki Takemoto curled a left-footed shot inside the post for the fifth and final goal, resulting in a 5-1 win and a 6-0 record in two events.
“The team defending has gotten a lot better,” Smith said. “Over the course of games, confidence grew. They’re kind of gelling at the right time.”
Meanwhile, the 2004 Boys team, coached by Aaron Barnard, went 2-0-1 at Crossroads, tying Lakota FC before defeating Mockingbird Valley 1-0 and Kings Hammer 2-1. Jake Hofelich capped his Express career with four goals in three games.
The 2006 Boys Orange team, coached by Dan Priscu, went 2-0-1 at Blue Chip. An opening-match 3-2 win over FCX Soccer Club was followed by a 0-0 tie against Croatia Juniors. The Express pounded Mockingbird Valley 4-0. Lucas Toppe and Lance Hubbard earned a shutout. Madux Tovey, Jasper Martin, Myles Chandler, Thomas Delacruz, Brayan Rodriguez and Ethan House scored goals.
At Blue Chip, the 2006 Boys Orange opened with a 1-0 win against Kings Hammer Red. Martin scored the game-winner with Toppe and Hubbard combining for a shutout. MUSA Flyers handed the team its first loss over two weekends with a 4-0 shutout. The Express capped the weekend with a 1-0 win over Elite FC, thanks to a Ryan Naylor goal and another Toppe-Hubbard clean sheet.
The 2007 Boys Orange team, coached by Smith, went 0-1-2 at Crossroads, tying Falls City 2-2 and Ohio Galaxies 1-1 and falling to Steel City FC 1-0. Matthew Payne, Jonathan Garcia Renteria and Leo Iorio scored goals.
That team came back to finish undefeated at Blue Chip. Payne scored from the penalty spot in a 1-1 tie against IFC Academy of Canada. A 3-1 win over Elite FC opened with Payne scoring from an assist from goalkeeper August Comer. Payne scored again off an Evan Unterseher pass. Aarav Nihalani finished off a Payne lay-off for the third goal. The final match saw Express defeat GTFC Impact 2-0 with Payne and Keygan Mullins scoring. Comer earned the shutout.
The Sam LaVelle-led 2008 Boys Orange team went 3-0, outscoring opponents 11-2 to win its bracket of the Crossroads Showcase. In Game 1, Express displayed strong defense and an explosive attack with a 3-0 win over Pride SC. Tanner Miller scored two goals, with assists credited to Nick Mann and Emilio Quintero. Mann also assisted on an Angel Espejel goal. Ryder Meek earned the shutout. Express defeated Steel City 5-2, with Tanner Miller scoring two more and assisting Will Jamerson on another. Espejel and Quintero added goals. Nihalani dished out two assists, with Jamerson and Mann each adding one. The final game of the weekend, a 3-0 win over Team Challenger, had Espejel (off a Quintero assist), Mann and Nihalani all score. Meek and John Harris split goalkeeper duties and the shutout.
The 2005 Girls Orange team, coached by Drew Little, went 1-2 record. Taylor Scott led the way with two goals. Ella Johnson and Paige Terry also found the net. Evelyn Kiefer, Cyanne St Bernard and Page Mora had assists. Lauren Gatewood earned one shutout.
The 2007 Girls Orange team, coached by Cam Auzenne, went 2-1. Avery Baker netted three goals in a 3-2 win against DPA Cobras. The Express beat Sporting Columbus 3-1. Sammie Kegerreis scored two goals, and Baker scored again, pushing her total to four goals for the weekend.
The 2007 Girls Orange, 2009 Girls Orange and 2012 Girls Orange teams have advanced to semifinals of Challenge Cup.
The 2005 boys, 2007 boys and 2008 boys teams will begin State Cup play next weekend, and the 2006 boys will play in Presidents Cup. Preliminary rounds for both of those events are Friday through March 21 at Grand Park, with the finals set for June 2-4.
