Local Soccer Notebook 5/19/17

Reading United and Harrisburg City Islanders both advanced to the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday and will meet in Exeter, Pa. on May 31.

Philadelphia Union Academy grads Will Campbell and Rob Campbell (Wallingford, Pa.) were in the starting XI for Reading, which shocked New York Cosmos 3-2 at Albright College. Academy grad Zach Zandi (West Chester, Pa.) came off the bench in the 76th minute while Mo Conde (Philadelphia, Pa.) was an unused sub.

Former Philadelphia Union forwards Pedro Ribeiro and Aaron Wheeler both played for Harrisburg on Wednesday night. The City Islanders advanced in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw at the expense of another local team in Ocean City Nor’easters, which hosted their second straight Open Cup match at Carey Stadium.

In other Open Cup action, Union Academy grad Frederick Gil was an unused sub in South Florida Surf’s 3-2 loss to Miami FC and former Union homegrown Jimmy McLaughlin (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) came off the bench and played 57 minutes in a 1-0 win for FC Cincinnati over AFC Cleveland. Goalkeeper Kyle Morton (West Chester, Pa.) made his debut for Rochester Rhinos with a save and a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over FC Motown.

In other news from the local soccer scene: (email tips to matthew.r.ralph@gmail.com)

• New Hope native Graham Smith, who finished his college career at South Florida in the fall, is spending the summer with Central FC in Trinidad & Tobago.

• Philadelphia Union U18 forward Justin McMaster signed a national letter of intent to play college soccer this fall at Wake Forest.

• Former Philadelphia Union U16 forward Max Silberg was added to Tim Lenahan’s incoming recruiting class at Northwestern.

• A showdown with New York Red Bulls for the Philadelphia Union Academy never came to fruition last weekend as all games were canceled. They’ll now close the season with games at home on Sunday, June 4.

In other U.S. Soccer Development Academy action:

• Continental FC’s U18 team lost 3-2 to Seacoast United on the road (goals by Kexxer Camarco and Reilly Fuller) and the U16s won 5-2 behind a brace from Jayson Vandermark and goals from Nicholas Liddy, Jeremy Rafanello and Jalen Weatherspoon.

• The PA Classics U18 team edged Bethesda SC 1-0 on a 13th goal from Nick Kramer and a Leonardo Lopez clean sheet. Andrew Burkhardt scored for the U16 team but Bethesda won 2-1.

• Lehigh University head coach Dean Koski added Michael “Tyler” Dressman to his incoming recruiting class. The defender and midfielder plays for Capital Area Railhawks CASL Academy.

• Penn Fusion Academy and Boyertown High School midfielder Nikhil Verma (Gilbertsville, Pa.) committed to King’s College.

• Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer announced the naming of the Under-15 Boys Eastern Pa. State Cup championship trophy after Richard Groff. Groff played at Pennridge High School and Lafayette University, began coaching in the mid-’80s and was elected treasurer of U.S. Soccer in 1990.

• Media, Pa. native and Philadelphia Union Academy grad Auston Trusty will be representing the United States at the U20 World Cup in South Korea after he was added to the roster to replace injured Marlon Fossey.

• Zack Steffen (Downingtown, Pa.) was nominated for MLS save of the week for a PK stop on Jozy Altidore. Montreal Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush won with 26 percent of the vote.

• Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win for Pittsburgh Riverhounds over Ottawa Fury on Saturday. The goal was his team-leading fifth of the season.

• Lehigh Valley United’s PDL roster has a number of former Philadelphia Union Academy and Continental FC players.

• Princeton announced its incoming recruiting class, which includes West Chester Henderson and Penn Fusion Academy midfielder Frank DeRosa.

• The University of Virginia unveiled its 2017 schedule, which includes visits from Villanova on August 25 and Lehigh on October 10.

• Franklin & Marshall College’s men’s and women’s soccer teams are both spending time in South Africa this month. The women’s team arrived in South Africa on Monday and will return on May 27 while the men headed out on Wednesday and will return May 30. It’s the first trip for the women, but the men’s program has been there in 2008, 2011 and 2014.

The trips are part of the a project launched by men’s coach Dan Wagner in 2007. A field was built in Khayelitsha, South Africa, which was named after Christopher T. Campbell, a player who died prior to the start of the 2007 season.

Click here to read more about the trips, which will “combine community, service, soccer and tourism.”

• Messiah’s men’s soccer team is also traveling outside the country, to Medellin, Colombia. The team will play in a regional tournament and work alongside the Christian Union Sports Club (Cosdecol) in various neighborhoods in Medellin while also helping with continued construction of the Cosdecol stadium and training ground.