Velize King Brace Sends Legends FC U-15 to Academy Championships Final

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 9, 2018) - A first-half brace from speedy striker Velize King locked up a spot for Legends FC in the Girls' U-15 Academy Championships Final. Just a minute after the opening goal, she netted twice in the span of six minutes to secure the 3-0 victory for Legends over Dallas Texans.

The SoCal squad started to shift the game's momentum on a dangerous corner kick attempt in the 18th minute. The hard-hit ball curled in towards the net, and the attempt slipped between the hands of Dallas goalkeeper Savannah Harvey. When it fell into an opening near the back post, Legends defender Brianna Weber pounced and punched it towards goal.

As it fell into space near the back post, Legends center back Brianna Weber pounced on the ball, punching it towards the goal line. While Texans defender Ella Rodgers attempted a goal-line clearance, the assistant referee raised a flag to signal that the ball had crossed the mark, giving Legends an early 1-0 advantage.

Weber's goal opened the floodgates for Legends, and 68 seconds later, King bagged her first of two goals in the 18th. Following an unlucky series of deflections, King and the Texans' Harvey and Rodgers descended on a loose ball near the top of the box. King just beat the Dallas 'keeper to the ball and she sailed it over the Harvey into the net.

"I knew our team needed to get up and get the win early," King said. "I feel pumped. Our team just needs to keep working hard and pushing hard. That's how we got here. For the first goal, I knew that I needed to keep moving and keep my composure. On the second goal, I knew I needed to beat the goalie the first time."

King's second goal firmly shut the door on Dallas in the 26th minute. On a quick counterattack launched from deep in its own territory, Legends sent a long ball third to King sprinting towards goal. She controlled it, sidestepped the 'keeper and finished into the open net.

Legends played lockdown defense for the remaining 54 minutes to finish with a clean sheet and secure their place in the final.

The California-based club will face FC Dallas on July 11 at 5 p.m. for the first-ever Girls' U-15 Academy Championship. The final can be seen live on ussoccerda.com, the Development Academy Facebook Page and the U.S. Soccer YouTube channel. Fans can also follow along on the Development Academy Twitter and Instagram accounts.

ORIGINAL LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.ussoccerda.com/20180709-news-velize-king-brace-legends-fc-beat-dallas-texans-3-0