The New York Red Bulls U-18 team fell in a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Baltimore Bays 89 in the second game of group play in the Region I Tournament last Saturday.
A day after defeating the Rochester Jr. Rhinos, the U-18s and Bays faced off for the top spot of Group A.
The U-18s fell behind early but were able to battle back due to a relentless attack. In the 44th minute, the U-18s pulled even with the Bays thanks to an Andrew Cuevas goal. The tally was set up off a John Tardy corner kick.
The U-18s took control of the lead in the second half when Matt Kassel found the back of the net in that head coach Paul O'Donnell praised it as 'the goal of the match.' Kassel collected a cross on the corner of the six-yard box and one-time volleyed the shot to the opposite corner of the net.
However, a miscommunication late in the 90th minute allowed Baltimore to come away with the victory.
The following day, Red Bulls U-18s demolished Bayside United (Rhode Island), 11-0. Jackson Sengbloh, Shanshe Khosroshvili, Kassel, and Michel Okai all recorded two-goal games.
"We have come so close in many tournaments and it just comes down to one or two mistakes each time," O'Donnell said. "We'll learn from those mistakes and move forward."
Red Bulls U-14 Update
The Red Bulls U-14 team took full advantage of their first home game, defeating the Brooklyn Knights 2-0 in a Super-Y match-up.
Both teams played the first 15 minutes of the game trying to get a feel of each others attacks. The U-14s attempted to gain control of the game while the Knights looked to counterattack with long balls behind the U-14s defense.
Early in the second half, Keith Francisco opened the scoring for the U-14s, as his blast from 20 yards out found the back of the net.
The U-14s were able to extend their lead in the 55th minute when Damian Bzukiewicz was able to drill a shot past Brooklyn's goalkeeper. The game was forced to end two minutes later due to heavy thunderstorms.
"Everyone on the squad played well, and it was good to see this team play with character," head coach Stan Matlak said.
