Team Chicago Academy-Cruzeiro U15 opened its IYSA State Cup championship defense with an impressive 7-0 win over Rockford Raptors.

The game was a re-match of their Spring U14 IYSA State Cup Round-Robin contest, which ended with a tight 2-0 win for Cruzeiro, but this time around Cruzeiro quickly took care of business jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first six minutes of play. Kerry Abello opened the show when she got on the end of Riley O’Brien’s cross from a great Sarah Avery run up the right flank. Less than a minute later Jamie Goralski found Kerry Abello on the left-wing and she played a perfect ball into Alyssa Bombacino’s run down the middle. Alyssa calmly found the foot of the far post. And two minutes later Alyssa got her second of the game when she met at perfect Jamie Goralski cross at the near post and flicked it over the GK.

The 2nd half started much like the 1st as Cruzeiro grabbed a couple of quick goals. Kerry Abello played a perfect ball over the top into Emma Rydholm’s overlapping run, and Emma whipped in a cross that Riley O’Brien met at the back post. Less than a minute later GK Bailee Witt drove a great 50 yard ball into Riley O’Brien’s run down the right flank, and she squared it to Jamie Goralski who took a perfect first touch and then slotted it home for the 5-0 lead.

Jordan King made it 6-0 after a short corner, and Kerry Abello made it 7-0 final after a mazy run and driven shot to the far post. Bailee Witt got the shutout in goal. Up next for Cruzeiro is its 2nd State Cup round-robin game on Sunday night against FC-1 Elite.