The Boys 19U USYS National League South Atlantic Conference Premier I White Division is set to be a heated contest with some of the best teams in the state of Maryland taking part. Last Sunday morning, Bethesda SC Blue 2006 took on SAC Boys 05/06 Pre-Academy at Richard Montgomery High School. Bethesda SC came into the game searching for their first win of the season while SAC looked to improve their 2-1-0 record to keep pace with Brausa United Futebol Club 05/06 who have had a strong start to the season winning their first four games.
The game was a tight-knitted affair which featured a strong defensive match up. SAC managed to score early into the game with another coming late in the first half from an in-box scramble after a freekick. In the second half, SAC maintained their lead while Bethesda SC pushed for a goal to get them back in the game. While Bethesda SC were on the front foot for the majority of the second half, the two goals were enough for SAC as they prevailed 2-0. SAC Head Coach, Michael McDonald, had this to say about the game:
“It was a really competitive game. Bethesda played really well. We were fortunate to come away with the win, but obviously these games can go either way.”
Teams in the USYS National League Conferences will play for qualification into the Eastern Regionals as teams aim for glory on the national stage. High stakes have led to competitive matches all around the league with Coach McDonald saying this about the competition in the conference:
“The competition has been really good this year. The games have been close and I think we can go either way in these games. The boys are competing really well so it feels like everything is at the right level.”
Both teams are in action again in April with Bethesda SC looking to bounce back against NPC Futbol 2006 Academy on April 7th. SAC will return on April 13th against Paragon Futbol Academy 05B Elite as they hope to continue their push towards first place.
Article & photos by Aaron Oman