St. Louis CITY’s U16 team came out the gate flying in their match against Midwest United. However, despite all their control and attacking chances, it was Midwest United that opened the scoring in the 13th minute. The boys maintained their composure and were able to find the equalizer off a Jack Dimaria header in the 19th minute. Three minutes later Dimaria put STL CITY in the lead after pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area. Following the go-ahead goal, the flood gates were opened, and the team did not miss a beat on the attacking end.
Tyson Pearce (2) and Omar Cilic also got in on the action, giving STL CITY an emphatic 5-1 lead at halftime. The boys picked up where they left off in the second half with Cilic grabbing his brace just seconds into the restart, before scoring his hattrick in the 75th minute. As the game winded down, STL CITY cruised to the final whistle, rounding out the day with an impressive performance and a 7-1 win.
With an attempt to control the tempo in the early stages, St. Louis CITY’s U17 team started the match with high intensity. As they advanced their defensive line to keep the action in the opposition's half, Houston took advantage of the space in behind and opened the scoring in the fifth minute. After the goal, STL CITY controlled possession and created opportunities to score, but a combination of good defending and missed chances saw the team enter the halftime break a goal down.
The second half started with STL CITY chasing the game as they looked for the equalizer. After initially being shocked by STL CITY’s high press, Houston recovered and created chances to extend the lead but was kept at bay by STL CITY’s goalkeeper, Owen Spore. Though STL CITY searched for the leveler, it was Houston that added their second goal in the 60th minute before sealing the result with another goal in 95th minute.
The U16s are back in action at Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex next weekend, facing Indiana Fire Academy on March 27, while the U17 team travels to Texas to take on Austin FC on March 26 and FC Dallas on March 27.
MATCHDAY NOTES – STARTING XI
U16
Nick Bishop, Tyson Pearce, Jackson McNeal, Zach Stanton, Dustin Randazzo, Eddie Stewart, Jack Dimaria, Nate Harmon, Edin Prgo, Omar Cilic, Jackson Delkus
U17
Owen Spore, Max Vuong, Nolan McGuire, Jacob Lusignan, Sagar Bhujel, Brian Franco, Mykhi Joyner, Nathan Yao, Braydon Sellers, Kai Pope, Tyler Sargent
To learn more about the academy players, please find all player bios and rosters here. Stay up to date on all things St. Louis CITY SC by downloading the official team app and following the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
