The Elm Grove U14 Girls Academy team recently completed play in the Midwest Regional League, First Division West, finishing in 1st place in their division with a 5-0-1 record.
In the First Division playoffs, the top two teams in the East and West divisions combine to play in the Final Four for the overall league championship. The playoff was played on Saturday, October 29 at Kreager Fields in Ft Wayne, Indianna.
In their semi-final game, Elm Grove defeated Club Dynamo 92 from Indianna by a 4-1 score. That win assured them a spot in the championship match where they would face the Windy City Pride from the Chicago area. The two teams had played each other in league play the prior weekend, ending in a hard fought 2-1 victory for the Wisconsin team.
In the championship game, Elm Grove then dominated the Windy City Pride from Illinois by a 6-2 score to stake their claim the the MRL First Division Championship. Windy City Pride had set the tempo for about the first ten minutes before watching Elm Grove connect 12 passes that led to their first goal. Five minutes later Elm Grove scored again off of a beautifully timed cornerkick play. Both teams managed to score one goal apiece in the final minutes of the half, leaving Elm Grove with a 3-1 advantage. The score doubled in the second half to 6-2, seeing the Elm Grove Academy U14 girls bring home their first regional title.
The win qualifies the girls for promotion into the MRL Premier Division for the Fall 2006 season.
The U14 girls teams are coached by Danny Madrigal and Digital Takawira, both former professional soccer players for the Milwaukee Rampage. The EGSC makes heavy use of the Club Pass at this age level, with girls from the Select team often called up to play with the Academy team. The teams often practice together and scrimmage each other, helping to build a strong bridge between the two teams, in essence forging one large cohesive group.
Coach Danny said, "This group of girls is a very special one. Eighty percent of our players had to play multiple positions due to injuries. They did so for three weekends without skipping a beat. We've got 30 players with 30 different personalities who come together to fight for their team and for their club. Win, lose or draw, coach Digi and I are very proud of each one of them."
The Academy team will be leaving for San Diego, California in the upcoming weeks to compete in the prestigious San Diego Surf Cup. Win, lose or draw, they will enjoy the challenge.
Congratulations girls, and good luck in San Diego, and next year in MRL Premier!!
Click here for more info on the Midwest Regional League.
| MRL First Division West - Final Standings | ||||||
| Team | Win | Loss | Tie | Points | GF | GA |
| Elm Grove Academy (WI) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 14 | 8 |
| Windy City Pride 26 (IL) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 17 | 3 |
| Team Chicago Cyclones (IL) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Sockers FC Chicago (IL) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Grand Valley SC White (MI) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 11 |
| Rockford Dactyls (IL) | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
| FC United U14 Select (IL) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| MRL First Division West - League Schedule/Scores for Elm Grove Academy | ||||||
| Date | Location | Opponent | Score | |||
| 8/27 | Rockford IL | Rockford Dactyls (IL) | W3-2 | |||
| 8/27 | Rockford IL | Sockers FC Chicago (IL) | W2-1 | |||
| 8/28 | Rockford IL | FC United U14 Select (IL) | T3-3 | |||
| 10/22 | Madison WI | Windy City Pride 26 (IL) | W2-1 | |||
| 10/22 | Madison WI | Team Chicago Cyclones (IL) | W2-1 | |||
| 10/23 | Madison WI | Grand Valley SC White (MI) | W2-0 | |||
| MRL First Division Playoff - 10/29 in Ft. Wayne IN |
| Semi-final 1 - Windy City 4, Citadel 3 |
| Semi-final 2 - Elm Grove 4, Dynamo 1 |
| Third Place - Dynamo 2, Citadel 0 |
| First Place - Elm Grove 6, Windy City 2 - Elm Grove is champion!! |
| Elm Grove and Windy City earn promotion into the Premier Division for the Fall 2006 Season. |