Over the weekend, the RSL Academy’s season came to a close at the USSDA Playoffs in Oceanside, California. With eight teams advancing to the quarterfinal stage – one from each of the eight groups – both RSL sides missed the chance to advance having both finished third in their respective groups.
The RSL U-19s finished its playoff run third in Group H, playing to a record of 0-2-1 (1 point) ahead of Atlanta United FC. Last Friday, RSL fell 2-0 at the hands of Crossfire Premier, a match that saw Crossfire book its ticket to the quarterfinal stage of the USSDA playoffs.
The U-19s were led in the 2019 season by FW Ben Ortiz and RSL first team member Luis Arriaga who each scored 10 goals on the season. MF Bryce Duke finished the season with nine goals, having appeared in 25 matches this season.
The RSL U-17s ended its season having also finished in third place in Group E in Oceanside, earning a 1-1-1 (4 points) record ahead of FC Westchester. On Saturday, RSL’s playoff run came to an end with a 4-2 victory over FC Westchester as Nicolas Bellini, Nikolas Kizerian, Cesar Medina and Braxton Taghvai-Najib all scored in the victory.
RSL was led in scoring by Bode Davis who scored 11 goals in 23 appearances for the U-17s with Christopher Garcia adding nine goals in 25 appearances on the year.
The RSL Academy will return to action in August when both teams report for the commencement of the 2019/20 season under the direction of RSL Academy Director Tom Spall.
