Elm City Express Crowned 2017 NPSL National Champions
Elm City Express is the 2017 NPSL National Champions following a spectacular performance that saw the Connecticut club cruise past Midland-Odessa FC. Elm City forward Tavoy “The Bull” Morgan recorded two goals on the night to receive Man of the Match honors as another exciting season in the NPSL comes to a close.
NPSL Soccer News: Elm City Express (New Haven, CT) was crowned 2017 NPSL National Champions on Saturday night after edging Midland-Odessa FC (Midland, TX) 5-0 at Yale University’s Reese Stadium.
“It’s massive for us,” said Elm City Express head coach and 2017 NPSL Coach of the Year winner Teddy Haley. “It started with the ownership group and the management group doing it the right way from the beginning, putting together a collection of players that bought into what we wanted to do and the vision of it. The team worked really hard to get better every week and stay together, grow together. We talked about going on a run and doing something special.”
Elm City’s goals came from forward Tavoy “The Bull” Morgan (two), defender Quenton Swift (two) and midfielder Daniel Oliveira (one). Express midfielder Christian Hernandez concluded the match with three assists.
“It’s great to be around these amazing and talented guys,” said Morgan. “We push each other every day, on and off the field. It’s a fun team.”
Morgan scored his brace in the first half, tallying goals in the 26th and 45th minutes. Swift registered his goals in the 76th and 90th minutes, while Oliveira came up big in the 80th minute. The game was enjoyed by a crowd of 3,112, the highest crowd for Elm City this season.
Morgan was selected as Mitre Man of the Match after a vote from on-site media members. It was his fourth award of the season after winning Mitre Player of the Week (June 22nd), Third Team All-NPSL and Northeast Region Best XI honors.
Despite the loss, Midland-Odessa FC midfielder Andrew Moullin was pleased with his team’s first campaign in the NPSL.
“I’m super proud of the team,” said Moullin. “The coaching staff is unbelievable. It’s been an honor to be a captain of this team.”
Photo Credit: Mark Smith/NPSL
