Union Academy teams go unbeaten against PA Classics, Cedar Stars Academy

All five Philadelphia Union Academy teams picked up wins in U.S. Soccer Development Academy player over the weekend as the U18 and U16 teams swept PA Classics on the road and the U14, U13 and U12 teams went 3-0-1 at Cedar Stars Academy.

The U18 team twice squandered one goal leads, but were rescued by an 80th minute winner by second half substitute Kalil ElMedkhar, who got behind the defense to deliver his third winner of the season and fourth goal overall.

Chad Letts opened the scoring with his first goal for the U18s in the sixth minute but Isaac Hollinger equalized in the 33rd minute for the home team. Letts set up the second goal when he was taken down in the box and Alexander Soto converted from the spot.

Jadon Courtney put the game back on level terms in the 55th minute when he tapped in a rebound from a diving stop by Matthew Freese. But ElMedkhar made sure the Union left Manheim with all three points 15 minutes into a lively 25-minute appearance off the bench.

Missing two regular starters to suspension – Tiger Graham and Omar Ayala – gave Letts and U16 teammate Seth Kuhn the chance to play up and both, coming off strong showings in the Generation adidas Cup finals in Texas, put in solid 90-minute shifts.

With the win, the U18 team maintains the top spot in the Atlantic Division and the overall No. 1 ranking in the league with a 15-3-1 record and six of their remaining seven games left to play at home.

U16
The U16s won their first league match since late March with a 2-1 win over PA Classics on Saturday.

After a scoreless first half, the home team took a lead through Andrew Burkhardt in the 56th minute, but a pair of second half substitutions gave the offense the jolt it needed when Oluwaola-ayo Ogunwale delivered an equalizer and Liam O’Brien got the decisive goal with two minutes remaining.

The goals were the second of the season for Ogunwale and the fourth of the year for O’Brien.

With the win, the Union improved to 9-4-6 and is in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and the seventh wild card spot for the playoffs with seven games remaining.

U14
Tiasho Yang scored for the third time in the past two games and his 67th minute strike held up to give the Union a 1-0 win over Cedar Stars Academy Bergen.

U13
Micah Cain scored twice and Jack Roberto and Christopher Hackley each added goals to lead the Union to a 4-1 win over Cedar Stars Academy Bergen.

Roberto’s goal in the first minute was his team-leading ninth of the season while Cain picked up his fifth and sixth of the year and Hackely his third.

U12
The U12 team drew Cedar Stars Academy Bergen 1-1 in the first game and won 3-0 in the second.

Anthony Derk had the lone goal for the visitors in the first game while Timothy Madden had a hat trick in the second. Madden is third on the team in goals with 23 in 23 games this season.