Va. State Cup: Beach FC U17 Red roll past Baystars FC Raiders in U-17 Girls play

By Jimmy LaRoue

After scoring two goals in the first half, Beach FC U17 Red’s Nickie Ivey told her teammates that she was going to get a hat trick when she went back into the game.

Ivey backed up her words with another goal minutes after reentering the match, as Beach FC U17 Red went on to defeat Baystars FC Raiders 4-0 in Virginia Youth Soccer Association Under-17 Girls State Cup action Saturday at the Hampton Roads Sports Complex in Virginia Beach, Va.

“Nickie, she’s [made] big improvement over the season,” said Beach FC U17 Red coach Max Moore. “Early in the season, she mostly was too predictable. She would check back and just lay the ball off, check back. I’m like, ‘That’s easy.’ …Now you’ve got to get in behind and combine with your players.

“She did quite a few different things today, showed different parts of her game, some one-v-ones, some give-and-gos. Actually, she has a good shot from outside. She didn’t use too much of that today.”

Moore said the team started off strong, moving the ball around well.

“That’s what we talked about -- time and space,” Moore said. “Know where the spaces are on the field so that you can get the ball into the space. That creates time, time to make good decisions.”

He said early defensive pressure set the tone for a match in which Moore said he knew little about Beach FC’s opponent. He said he wants his team to pass and move.

“You have energy when you have the ball,” Moore said. “When you don’t have the ball, you usually get tired, so we try to wear them down that way.”

Ivey got Beach FC on the board early in the match from 12 yards out and notched a second goal midway through the half after the Raiders were unable to clear the ball off a Beach FC corner, stroking the ball past the goalkeeper into the right corner.

As rain began falling in the second half, Aari Robinson scored Beach FC’s third goal before Ivey, who came out late in the first half and sat out much of the second half, came in late and proved prophetic, powering a third goal past the Baystars 'keeper.

With the victory over their Gloucester, Va.-based opponents, Beach FC U17 Red advance to the tournament's quarterfinals, where they will meet the winner of the match between their local rivals Virginia Rush Swoosh and the top-seeded Herndon Firecats.

Despite the four goals, Moore said Beach FC can improve on its finishing going forward.

"One of the major places most teams need to improve on is in front of the goal," Moore said. "In [this] game we had numerous opportunities to put the ball away, which we hit wide or put at the 'keeper."

U17G – VYSA State Cup
Beach FC U17 Red        4   
BAY Raiders             0
Location: Hampton Roads Soccer Complex

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