Flash Reach Semifinals of Jack Walsh Tournament

Oct. 7, 2018 -- The Flash continued their strong play during the second day of the Jack Walsh Tournament, winning their group and advancing to the semifinals.

The Flash completed an undefeated sweep through their bracket with a 5-0 win over the Lower Merion Rams in the morning session. Grayson got the scoring barrage underway by corralling a loose ball in front of the net and knocking in a goal four minutes into the game. After sustained pressure and a near miss by Connor, Cody followed up his own shot and slammed home the rebound. Minutes later, Jaxon one-timed a corner kick from Tyler to put the Flash up 3-0. In the second half, Charlie played a high ball into the box and Jaxon roofed it under the crossbar for another goal. Some hard work by Chase and Avinash on the attack eventually led to Jack getting the ball behind the defense. He hit a strong shot past the goalie for the Flash's final goal of the game. On the defensive side of the ball, Jack and Aidan combined for the shutout in net.

The Flash ended group play tied for the most goals (9) of any team in their division, while only allowing one goal. There were 14 teams in the Flash's division, and the Flash were one of only four teams to advance to the semifinals.

In the semis, the Flash faced a very strong Deep Run team. Coming into the matchup, Deep Run had not allowed a goal the entire tournament. The Flash would soon put an end to that streak. Deep Run went on the attack early, controlling the ball in the Methacton United end and scoring off a corner kick at the 13-minute mark. But the Flash did not wilt under the pressure. Grayson, Joey and Brendan locked down the back line on defense, stopping repeated attacks by Deep Run. The Flash responded just six minutes later, as Cody made a nice run up the left side. His well-timed cross found Aidan, who lofted a one-timer over the Deep Run goalie to tie the game at 1-1 and swing the momentum back to Methacton United. You just don't see prettier goals in 10-year-old soccer. The teams traded chances and stops for the rest of the half, but the score remained 1-1 at halftime.

As the sun came out and the temperature hit 80 degrees in the second half, the Flash fought through the heat and battled Deep Run for another 25 minutes of physical soccer. Colin, Tyler and Cody contested every ball in the middle of the field and worked tirelessly to move the ball into the offensive zone. With the score still knotted 1-1 at the end of regulation, the game went to a 10-minute sudden death overtime period. The Flash fought off a few early chances by Deep Run, but ultimately Deep Run found the back of the net for the win. Deep Run went on to win the championship, providing more proof that the Flash faced some of the toughest competition in the tournament.

"I'm so proud of how much every player has improved so far this season," said Methacton United coach Colleen Wolf. "When I think back to our first practices of the summer and look at how well we played this weekend, everyone has gotten stronger and we're really beginning to gel as a team."