Following Saturday night’s Carolina Challenge Cup opener, the Fire Reserves and Academy teams returned to Blackbaud Stadium for matches on Sunday…
Char" style="font-weight: bold; ">Fire Reserves down College of Charleston 2-1
After a number of close opportunities off corner kicks, the Fire reserves finally broke through in the 27th minute when Corben Bone slotted Kheli Dube into the box up the right. The Zimbabwean striker took one touch before burying it past Charleston keeper Kees Heemskerk.
The Fire doubled the lead in the 40th minute when Homegrown product Kellen Gulley, who played in the previous U-18 Academy match, was slotted into the box by Dube. The 17-year-old striker ran onto the ball before coolly finishing past Heemskerk.
Subbing in a number of Academy players in the second half, the Fire conceded a goal in the 61st minute when a miscue between goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi and defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe allowed Charleston’s Tanner Clay to walk in alone and tally into an open goal.
Despite the marker, the result never looked too much in doubt as the Fire downed the College of Charleston 2-1 .
FIRE Starting XI: Paolo Tornaghi; Tony Walls, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Hunter Jumper, Pari Pantazopoulos; Kheli Dube, Amadou Sanyang*, Michael Videira; Corben Bone; Lucky Mkosana, Kellen Gulley
Char" style="font-weight: bold; ">Chicago Fire U18s draw 0-0 with DC United
The Chicago Fire U18 Academy dominated throughout the match but couldn’t convert in a 0-0 draw Sunday morning at Blackbaud Stadium.
The first opportunity came in the 12th minute when Elliot Borge’s cross from the right was headed just over DC United keeper Sam Legg’s bar.
Twenty minutes later it was Borge again who started a great sequence out of midfield, combining to send Drew Conner up the right. The Gatorade Illinois High School player of the year hit a perfect centering pass for striker Kellen Gulley whose one-time effort to the left corner was saved by a sprawling Legg.
Just before the half left winger Chisom Ogbanna picked out Jesus Medina at the back post but the Waukegan, IL product pinged his one-time opportunity off the post.
United came out with a bit more pressure in the second frame but neither team could convert with the best chance of the half coming at the death when Joel Salmeron’s corner picked out Conner but again United keeper Sam Legg was equal to it.
The Fire U18s are 1-0-1 at the 2012 Carolina Challenge Academy Cup and close out the tournament Monday evening against South Carolina United Battery.
U16s Down DC United 1-0
The Chicago Fire U16s used an 88th minute strike from CFJ-Mississippi product Marcus Epps to earn a 1-0 victory over DC United Saturday afternoon.
The U16s sit alone atop their group at 2-0-0 and need only one point from Monday’s game vs. South Carolina United Battery to win the 2012 Carolina Challenge Academy Cup.
