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Subscribe to our NewsletterTeams vie for position on ECNL finals day 2
Dallas Texans 2-0 Dallas Sting (U16)
The U16 group at the ECNL Finals carrying the most intrigue is undoubtedly this one, which features three of its four teams from the Dallas Metroplex. The Texans and Sting finished one-two in the Texas Conference during the regular season, so this matchup between crosstown rivals was always going to be one to watch. And after starting the week with a draw, the Texans came out on the positive end of a tightly contested victory.
While Sting struggled to find its way through the muddy Texans back line and link play with striker Lakyn Pope, the Texans had similar trouble creating through talisman Haley Berg. That trouble ended just before the first water break in the first half, as Carina Reyes mashed in a squared cross for a 1-0 lead halfway through the first stanza.
Sting didn’t dial up the pressure until the second half, when chances began to fall a bit more routinely. But through the combined efforts of a locked in back line, Sting’s efforts were routinely blunted. Finally, Texans put the game away via a Michaela Rouse one-time effort one-on-one with the keeper with less than 10 minutes to play. Now, the Texans face already eliminated FC Dallas, and a win coupled with a Slammers draw or loss will put them through to the finals.
