As the 2008 Regular Season comes to a close, our Academics find themselves on route to Orlando, FL to compete in this year’s PDL Playoffs.

 Coach Durkin’s pre-season strategy to compile a playoff worthy team has come full circle. Friday’s match vs. Central Florida was the final victory the team needed. The Kraze came into Friday’s match with nothing to lose after securing the #1spot and host of the playoffs, but they didn’t take the game lightly. With all the usual Kraze starters in the game, they came out with guns blazing, testing Academic Goalkeeper Deigo Restrepo from the first whistle. With Restrepo on point, this gave the Bradenton attack confidence to press forward and hunt for an early go ahead goal.

 That goal came sooner than expected when Anthony Ampaipitkwong stood over a free kick 25yrds out. With a plan in mind he curled a beautiful ball far post to fellow teammate, Eugene Starikov who perfectly headed the ball past Kraze Goalkeeper Devala Gorrick putting the Academics ahead in the 7th minute.

 Down early, Central Florida struck back in the 34th minute when Ormando McLeod found the end of an uncleared ball on the of the Academic eighteen and placed it just past Restrepo tying the game and sending it into halftime at 1-1

 The battle for supremacy continued as any epic contest would. Shots, saves, cautions and cramps, nothing would be left on this field but blood and sweat. Just as we thought the game could end at one a piece, who else but Zak Boggs breaks free from a through ball from Jordan Seabrook and propelled Bradenton to a deserving 2-1 victory and a place in this years PDL Playoffs.

 Job Well Done Boys. Good Luck in Orlando !!!!!!

It was nothing less than a scoring frenzy at Academy Park Thursday Night. After a disappointing loss to Central Florida last Saturday, Bradenton opened the game with something to prove.

 It all began in the 10th minute. Starkov to Gavin, Goal. 27th minute Gavin to Boggs, Goal. 35th Minute Boggs to Ampaipitakwong, Goal. The story of the first half quickly became the conclusion to the second half. After the 45th minute it was a dominating 3-0 halftime lead.

 Bradenton Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson earned his first start and shutout, much to the performance of his defenders, Miguel Rodrigues, Christian Ibeagha and Wes Knight, Thompson only had to  make 1 save.

 Confident in their defense, Bradenton kept attacking. Academics Captain Zak Boggs proved why he is one of the top forwards  in the league. A hat trick in goals and assist, Boggs’s effort and emotion is something we all look for in a player.

 Once the lead was locked, Coach Durkin brought in his reserves. Sean Bucknor, Kevin Sierra,  and Jordan Seabrook kept the frenzy alive with four more goals as the game ended Bradenton 10, Palm Beach 0.

 The Academics will be back in action at home Saturday July 12 vs. Palm Beach at 5:30.

The Bradenton Athletics kicked off the month of June with a bang. Playing host to the Richmond Kickers Destiny, this match turned out to be an epic battle at Academy Park .

Each goalkeeper was put to the test today, as both teams were firing from all angles. With a total of 24 shots, 7 found the net starting in the 16 minute when Richmond forward, Jess Verela snuck past the Athletics defense with her first of two goals for the Kickers Destiny. Today it seemed as though once scored on, each team stole the momentum and turned that into scoring opportunities. No less that 10 minutes later, the Bradenton Attack of Tymrak and Bartol linked in the box ending the first half with the score tied at 1-1.

As the temperature cooled off at the half, the girls came out on fire. Tymrak would not be denied as once again, she connected with another teammate, Megan Manthey putting Bradenton on top 2-1 in the 55 minute. Once again, Verela stuck back with an unassisted goal in the 67 minute.

A strategic substitution proved to be the difference as coach Leader went to the bench and brought in forward Martha Hall. Wasting no time, Hall pressured the Richmond backline time after time until and perfectly placed through ball from Manthey put Hall in position to set Bradenton back in the lead. Bradenton kept the pressure on but one mistake from the defense opened to door for Caitlin Miskel to hook up with Maria Owen, tying the game in the 75^th minute.

Have I mentioned Erika Tymrak? With her third and final assist of the game. Tymrak willed her team to a victory as one more through ball was put away by sub, Marta Hall.

This game had it all, and has the final whistle blew, Bradenton came out victorious with their second with of the season with the final score of 4-3.  

    The fans at Academy Park were given a nail bitter today as Bradenton ’s Academics hosted the Cary Railhawks. Both teams were off to a slow start, feeling out the opposing defense. Through balls were the story as each team trying to slip just one past the solid back line of each team. The Academics were kept  at zero at the end of the half thanks to Goalkeeper, Diego Restrepo. 2 big saves kept high hopes as the half closed tied 0-0.

 Cary struck first in the 62nd minute with an unassisted goal by Tommy Drake. A 25 yard blast came off a rebound and found the back of the net as Restrepo picked the ball up out of the goal. The pressure was on as Bradenton begun the rally to keep their unbeaten season alive. Shots by Ampiptakwong, Boggs, Seabrook and Gavin we all stopped by Brian Newbold who did all he could to keep his team ahead. To no avail, Cary would be beaten down the line by striker Jordan Seabrook who found Boggs in the box who like so many other times, buried it past Newbold. As the momentum shifted to the home team, Cary was on their heels, struggling fend off the Academic attack. Just when we thought it was all over, in the 91st minute Sol Caceres’s final attempt to win the game hit the post and as the whistle blew, Academy Park cheered for both clubs. An even game, a dramatic finish.

 The Academics will be back in action next Thursday at Academy Park at 5:30pm  as they host the Panama City Pirates.

 The Bradenton Athletics hosted the Charlotte Lady Eagles today at IMG’s Academy Park , in which both teams had high hopes for a victory. From the first whistle, both teams began the planned attack to score the first goal. Bradenton came out strong with a quick one-two punch from Erika Tymrak and Jessica Bartol but there efforts were stopped by Lady Eagles Goalkeeper Laura Armstrong.

 Charlotte struck first in the 13^th minutes from an unassisted goal by forward, Christy Rife. With first blood struck by Charlotte , their attack grew stronger as Bradenton Goalkeeper; Shannon Aitken was kept busy all game. The Lady Eagles finished the half strong with goals in the 37^th minutes by Nikki Lyons and again in the 45^th minutes when Rife played a through ball into Kelly Schmedes who tucked it away to put Charlotte up at the half 3-0.

 With a 3 goal deficit to overcome, Bradenton did not pack up and go home. They fought for the next 45 minutes with pride as strategic changes were made to spark a comeback. Although the efforts came without the outcome they’d like, Bradenton suffered their 2^nd loss of the season to a strong Charlotte team.

 The Athletics will be back in action this Sunday @ 5:30pm vs. Richmond Kickers Destiny at Academy Park in Bradenton .

 May 27, 2008

 A first half goal by Zak Boggs is all The Bradenton Academics needed to secure victory over Central Florida Kraze in a conference showdown at the IMG Soccer Academy Monday night.  Both teams entered the contest with undefeated records and a U.S. Open Cup birth on the line. 

Each team started the match with a defensive mindset not allowing a shot for the first 15 minutes of the contest.  With Bradenton carrying much of the play in the first half, the Academics were able to capitalize on a good individualized effort from Ryan Maxwell.  Maxwell was able to maneuver past two defenders and send a ball across the box capped off by a Zak Boggs strike 10yds from goal.

 The Bradenton Academics took advantage of two first half goals to propel them to victory over visiting Carolina Dynamo in PDL action Saturday night.  An early second half goal by Zak Boggs proved to be the difference between two very attack minded teams in a competitive Southeast division game.    

The game started with both teams having early scoring chances however; in the 18^th minute the Bradenton Academics finally were able to convert one of their five corner kick opportunities into their first goal of the contest.  A deflected ball inside the box was headed home by Miguel Rodrigues.  Shortly after forward Ryan Maxwell kept the pressure on the Dynamo’s backline beating two defenders where goalkeeper Arron Johnson made a fantastic save to deny Maxwell his first goal of the game.  However Maxwell would not be denied in the 23^rd minute, where Anthony Ampaipitakwong played a perfect pass in stride and Maxwell was able to blast a shot past a diving keeper from 18 yards out. 

 The Carolina Dynamo would storm back immediately creating numerous chances to get back into the contest.  Bradenton goalkeeper, Diego Restrepo, made key saves but the Dynamo’s relentless attack proved to be too much in the 35^th minute when Eddie Ababio took a ball played wide and laced a shot into the bottom right corner to bring them back within a goal.  The Dynamo and Ababio built upon this momentum for the remainder of the half and evened the score in stoppage to send the game into halftime all squared at two.    

  The second half saw more good chances for both teams however; the Bradenton Academics took advantage of their opportunities to regain the lead in the 58^th minute with a goal by Zak Boggs.  Boggs redeeming himself from a failed breakaway opportunity in the first half, showed his poise around the goal controlling a flighted ball from midfielder Blair Gavin to chip goalkeeper Aaron Johnson from 20yds out.  The game was put out of reach in the 73^rd minute when Ryan Maxwell was able to find some space along the right side of the field to display a well organized counter attack off a Carolina corner kick.  Maxwell was able to take the ball the length of the field beating two defenders and placing his shot left of Johnson for the final goal of the match.  The Academics battled to the end, fighting off a late flurry of chances by the Dynamo and improve their record to 1-0-1 on the season. 

 The Bradenton Academics will be back in action this Wednesday at 8:00pm when they travel to take on the Nashville Metros.

    After a National Championship year at the University of Tampa, Goalkeeper Shannon Aitken has not dropped off one bit. In her first start of the ’08 Season, Aitken recorded her first shutout with 10 saves in the 1-0 victory of Tampa Hellenic. Aitken’s ability’s in the Goal are a key to the success of the Athleitcs this season. We have only just begun to see the potential of this Goalkeeper and this team.

Week 4
W-League Team of the Week
Pos	Name	Team	Highlights
GK	Shannon Aitken	Bradenton	10 Saves & SO in 1-0 win at Tampa Bay
D	Ella Stephan	Boston	Best Renegade defender in a 1-0 loss to Jersey
D	Mariella Romano	New York	Top defensive player in a 2-2 draw against Connecticut
D	Bonnie Young	Jersey	Denied numerous late-game opportunities in 1-0 win
M	Colette McCallum	Pali	2 goals in 5-0 win at Ventura
M	Lori Lindsay	Washington	2 assists in 3-1 win at Long Island
M	Yolanda Odenyo	Jersey	Only goal in 1-0 win at Boston
M	Tina Murphy	Charlottle	1 goal, 1 assist in 3-0 win over West Virginia
F	Casey Nogueira	Carolina	1 goal, 1 assist in 2-0 win against Carolina Dynamo
F	Fortuna Velaj	Connecticut	Both goals in a 2-2 draw at New York
F	Sarah Steinmann	Atlanta	2 goals in 3-1 win over Hampton Roads

This weekends’ kickoff action placed our Bradenton Academics (PDL) and Athletics(W-League) away from home to start the ’08 Season. The long trek from Bradenton the Panama City was not in vein. Although they did not come out with a win, a 1-1 draw put points on the board for the Academics. With only 4 days of training as a team, Coach Tom Durkin was pleased with the result considering the amount of training and number of players. There is a positive outlook on the season from what was seen last weekend in Panama City . The Academics will host Carolina Dynamo this Saturday at 5:30pm.

With a shorter commute for our Athletics (W-League) from Bradenton, FL to Tampa, FL , came thr sweet taste of victory as the new franchise, Tampa Bay Hellenic fell 1-0 to the Athletics. Starting the season with a win could be the boost the Athletics needed to fight off last season results. All it took was an assist in the 63rd minute from Midfielder Erika Tymrak to Jessica Bartol who put the ball in the back of the net where it belongs. This proves to be a combo to watch for the remainder of the season.

 The Bradenton Academics are back in action May 10th vs. the Panama City Pirates. As the days to kick off gets closer and closer, the anticipation grows as hopes are high for the team. After finishing 4th in the Southern Conference in 2007, Coach Tom Durkin has arranged his roster to be a top contender for in the Conference title.

Among the crowd of returning players is USF Goalkeeper and 2007 All-Southern Conference Goalkeeper, Diego Restrepo and fellow teammate and All-Southern Conference Forward, Zak Boggs. The University of Akron, Ohio was impacted by a pair of freshmen and returning Academics in U-20 Men’s National Team Midfielder  Blair Gavin and 2007 College Soccer News All-Freshman Anthony Ampaipitakwong. Ampaipitakwong had nine assists to lead the Mid-American Conference and rank 32nd in the NCAA and ranked sixth in the MAC in points with 13.

The town of Bradenton is looking forward to another great PDL Season.

 The 2008 W-League Season will also be underway May 11th as the Athletics head to Tampa to play the Tampa Hellenic at Ed Radice Park.