By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com
Before Great Falls Academy Elite has to play some of the top teams amateur club teams from around the world, it got to face a familiar foe in the Freestate Soccer Academy from Bowie, Md.
The two teams have played four or five times in the past couple months. And according to forward K.C. Onyeador, GFA Elite has come out on top each time.
That pattern continued Monday as GFA Elite defeated its metro area foe, 2-0, at Trinity College in GFA’s first game in the International Amateur Soccer Tournament
Onyeador, who plays for Park View High School, scored his team’s second goal while National Pool player Dylan Bowman of James River broke what was a scoreless game with a header goal three minutes into the second half.
“We hold the upper hand,†Bowman said of the rivalry with Freestate. “We knew we had some chances and knew we were going to get some second half goals. We just had to put them away.â€
Bowman’s goal came off a cross from Robinson forward Koko Makumbi. The chipped cross found Bowman in traffic near the penalty stripe. His header wasn’t all that powerful but it was just inside the right post to give GFA a 1-0 lead.
“Dylan’s goal, that was a great goal,†Onyeador said. “The ball was over me and Dylan comes out of nowhere and puts it in the bottom corner.â€
“Probably my first headed goal,†Bowman added.
Onyeador’s goal, off a nifty little pass from Bowman, was scored just 14 minutes later in the 62nd minute.
But now it’s on to literally more foreign competition for GFA Elite. The club will face Chivas de Corazon from Guadalajara, Mexico on Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers from Blackburn, England on Thursday.
“It’s good to get off to a good start because our next challenges are going to be pretty big,†Onyeador said.
GFA Elite Coach Ed Beach watched the two teams battle to a tie on Sunday.
“I was very, very, very impressed,†Beach said. “It seems they brought over their better players and we’ll have our hands more than full.â€
Great Falls Academy Elite (High School)
1. Mark Bixler, GK (Hidden Valley)
3. Roshan Patel, D (Langley)
4. Drew Ruggles, D (Osbourn Park)
5. Andrew Varney, D (Potomac School)
7. Calder Street, M (Centreville)
8. Calle Brown, M (Loudoun County)
9. James Case, M (Heritage)
10. K.C. Onyeador, F (Park View)
11. Dylan Bowman, F (James River)
12. Conor Shanosky, M (Potomac Falls)
17. Robert Crissy, D (O’Connell)
18. William Simpson, M (Kettle Run)
19. Daniel Reategui, F (Broad Run)
20. Jamar Umar, M (Chantilly)
23. Tim Whitebread, M (McLean)
24. Daniel Flitcroft, M (Langley)
25. Zach Malanoski, F (Gonzaga)
26. Koko Makumbi, F (Robinson)
27. Farhan Khan, D (Stuart)
36. Charlie Ahn, M (Oakton)
Freestate Elite (High School)
0. Sean Killion, GK (Arundel)
1. Kyle McGehrin, GK (Archbishop Spalding)
2. Luke Goldsborough, M (Holly Grove Christian)
3. Eli Dennis, M (Easton)
4. Eric Hamel, M (DeMatha)
5. Brian Graham, F (Bowie)
6. Zak Modly, M (Mt. St. Joseph)
7. Christopher Woodruff, F (Bethesda-Chevy Chase)
8. Fabio Cardenas, M (Walter Johnson)
9. Cody Albrecht, M (DeMatha)
10. Lenny Pagliaro, M (Spalding)
11. Jasim Mobaidin, D (DeMatha)
12. Michael Jereme Raley, M (St. Mary’s Ryken)
13. Kevin Rama, M (DeMatha)
14. Marcus Brutus, M (Blake)
15. Michael Beard, D (Eleanor Roosevelt)
17. Travis Dennis, D (Eleanor Roosevelt)
18. Wole Kekere-Ekun, D (DeMatha)
19. Jeffry Juarez, M (Sherwood)
20. Martin Sanchez, M (Worcester Prep)
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