RSL Florida’s girls under-18 team got off to a winning start at the US Youth Soccer Southern Regional tournament in Dallas, as it defeated Louisiana champions the Mandeville Lakers 2-0 through goals by Paige Goodwin and Chelsea Klotz.

“They moved the ball really well,” RSL coach Ben Strawbridge said. “We had a hard time finishing early on, and I think sometimes these are the hardest games to win because we had chance after chance, and their goalie was absolutely amazing.”

Mandeville almost took the lead when a shot came back off the crossbar, and threatened when they created opportunities, but RSL finally broke through with 15 minutes to play.

Tishia Jewell began the move, sending a pass into Ally Griffin. Griffin then made a quick interchange with Goodwin in the six-yard box, drawing the defender to give Goodwin an open opportunity to finish.

As Mandeville pushed forward for an equalizer, RSL put the game away as Klotz beat the Lakers’ defense with her speed on a counter-attack before firing a shot into the net.

RSL will face Arkansas champions the NWA Lightning on Saturday knowing a victory would send them into the quarterfinals. The Lightning lost their opener 5-1 against the Dallas Texans.

“If we can score early, I think it will be a wide-open game,” Strawbridge said. “I think [if we can take] the patience from today, and then we need to do a better job with some of our decision making around the [penalty area].”