Team Chicago Academy-Botafogo claimed the club’s first National Championship with a 2-1 come-from-behind win over reigning National Champions VSA Heat from Virginia in double overtime.

The win caps a magical senior year for the Botafogo girls with a 29-1-2 record, 98 goals for and 17 against, an MRL Premier Division Championship, a National League Championship with a perfect 7-0 record as only the 3rd team in history, a Regional Championship, and now a U18 National Championship.

Botafogo dominated most of the attacking play for the entire game while on the defensive end GK Megan Geldernick, Hope D’Addario, Rachele Armand, Jenna Romano, and Dana Miller held the VSA forwards in an iron grip. Botafogo had most of the chances, but instead saw VSA grab the lead on its only real chance of the game early in the 2nd half off a corner kick.

Forced to dig deeper the girls found another gear and attacked relentless until Meegan Johnston’s floating ball into the VSA box was met by a Zoe Swift vertical leap and header for the equalizer. After the tying goal Botafogo kept pressing for the game-winner, but it wasn’t to be in regulation.

Onto two 15-minute overtime periods the tired players went, and with 10 minutes left in the game Meegan Johnston played a great 40-yard diagonal through-ball for Ashley Handwork to run onto. Ashley steadied herself, and drove along the end-line before slotting a perfect ball across the 6-yard box for Zoe Swift to get the game-winner.

10 minutes of determined defending ensued before the ecstatic and exhausted players could celebrate the National title.

Bryce Banuelos, Gianna Dal Pozzo, and Jenna Romano were selected to the All-Tournament Top-11, and Zoe Swift grabbed a share of the top-scorer title with her 3 goals.

The players who participated at Nationals were: Megan Geldernick, Hope D’Addario, Rachele Armand, Jenna Romano, Dana Miller, Brooke Ksiazek, Karla DiJohn, Gianna Dal Pozzo, Bryce Banuelos, Meegan Johnston, Kaitlin Johnson, Ashley Handwork, Molly Piech, Kendall Wilde, Zoe Swift, Alexis Jakuszewski, Heather Handwork, and Katie Ciesiulka.

The entire Team Chicago family congratulates the Botafogo players on their amazing accomplishments.

Team Chicago Academy-Botafogo defeated Region III champion Oklahoma FC 3-0 today to advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championship game on Sunday. The defending champion VSA Heat from Virginia will be the opponent in the 8:50am final.

Botafogo defeated VSA Heat 3-1 to claim the US Youth Soccer National League title at Disney last January, so it will be a fitting final between the two best U18 teams in the country over the past year.

In today’s game Botafogo came out very focused and got the eventual game-winner in the 3rd minute. Zoe Swift found Ashley Handwork on the right flank, and Ashley served in a perfect cross for Bryce Banuelos to run onto and knock home.

In the 35th minute Gianna Dal Pozzo slotted Zoe Swift a perfectly weighted through-ball, and Zoe chipped the on-rushing keeper for the insurance goal.

6 minutes into the 2nd half Ashley Handwork made a great penetrating run and was brought down in the box for an obvious PK. Up stepped Meegan Johnston to expertly drive home the PK to put the game out of reach and send Botafogo to the National Championship Game for the first time in Team Chicago history.

Megan Geldernick earned her 16th shutout of the 28 meaningful (MRL, National League, State Cup, Regionals, and Nationals) games Botafogo has played this year.

Team Chicago Academy-Botafogo remained unbeaten with a 0-0 tie today against Connecticut FC at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Overland Park, Kansas. After both teams opened play with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday they sit tied atop Pool A with 4 points and a 2-1 goal-difference.

Botafogo will now need to beat Oklahoma FC by a bigger margin than Connecticut FC beats Lou Fusz Wipke in tomorrow’s 11:30am games to secure a spot in the National Champions game on Sunday.

Botafogo played a solid game and created by far the most chances. A 4-1 or 4-2 scoreline in Botafogo’s favor would not have been an unfair result. But a combination a great goaltending and a little lack of composure denied Botafogo the deserved win.

Megan Geldernick earned the shutout in goal with a strong performance aided by a solid back-line of Hope D’Addario, Rachele Armand, Jenna Romano, Dana Miller and AJ Jakuszewski.

Team Chicago Academy-Botafogo got off to a winning start at the USYS National Championships in Overland Park, KS by beating Lou Fusz Wipke from Missouri 2-1 behind Ashley Handwork’s brace in the 2nd half. It was a very intense and hard-fought game where Botafogo never really got its passing game going.

After a scoreless first half, Ashley Handwork opened the scoring in the 55th minute when she stole the ball from a Lou Fusz defender and drove by two defenders to easily score. However, Lou Fusz answered right back when Hannah Leinert tied the game three minutes later. However, Botafogo was not to be denied and in the 78th minute Ashley Handwork would get the game-winner off Heather Handwork and Bryce Banuelos’ assists.

Megan Geldernick had a solid game in goal for Botafogo.

Up next is Connecticut FC, who defeated Oklahoma FC 2-1, on Thursday at 8:30am. With a win in that game Botafogo would be all but assured a spot in the National Championship game on Sunday.

Ahead of last Saturday’s Messi & Friends match at Soldier Field Antonio, Francesca, and Emilia Magno decided to kill some time at the Michigan Avenue Apple store. To their great surprise Lionel Messi and fellow Argentine National Team star Ezequiel Lavezzi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, had the same idea, so they got to meet the two soccer superstars.

Luckily, the Magnos who all play for Team Chicago are huge Argentina fans, so they were all decked out in their Argentina soccer jerseys for the once-in-a-lifetime photo-op.