Wisconsin Soccer Central

The SC Waukesha Blue Under-18 boys team's first foray into the U.S. Youth Soccer National League got off to a bit of a slow start Thursday, as they trailed Maryland's OBGC Rangers by two goals heading into the final minutes.

But SC Waukesha rallied to pull out a 2-2 draw in the opener, and finds itself atop the Blue Division table after winning its final three matches of the weekend in Wilson, N.C.

Mitch Krismer (Waukesha Catholic Memorial) started the late comeback against OBGC Rangers, scoring in the 87th, and Marquette recruit Colin Koerber (Hartland Arrowhead) found the equalizer in stoppage time after a scramble in the box following a corner kick.

Brody Kraussel (Muskego), who has committed to Loyola (Ill.), and UW-Milwaukee recruit Kai Bottum (East Troy) both scored in each of the other three matches and are two of 10 players with three goals in the Under-18 competition.

On Friday, Kraussel opened the scoring in the 12th and Bottum converted a penalty kick in the 33rd in a 2-0 win over New Jersey's Princeton Premiere. Tyler Moore (Brookfield Central) and Thomas Schroeder combined on the clean sheet, with Schroeder turning aside a penalty kick in the second half. However, the win came at a price, as Krismer was injured when he was taken down in the box leading to the first-half penalty.

Goals by Bottum in the 19th and Bret Harvenstine (Sussex Hamilton) in the 58th staked SC Waukesha to a two-goal lead Saturday against Concorde Fire Elite. The Georgia side pulled one goal back, but Kraussel sealed the 3-1 victory in stoppage time.

Then Sunday against North Carolina's TUSA Gold, Kraussel struck in the 21st and Bottum followed suit in the 39th and SC Waukesha held on for a 2-1 victory.

The team will play its last three games in the competition March 14 to 16 at a site to be determined, and will face the second-, third- and fourth-placed sides in the eight-team division: California's West Coast FC (2-0-2), Arizona's Scottsdale Blackhawks (2-0-2), and Michigan's Alliance Academy Black (1-1-2). The other four Blue Division teams will wrap up their National League schedules next month in Florida.

The division champion earns a berth in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships, which are July 22 to 27 in Germantown, Md., along with the Red Division winner. SC Waukesha Blue is the second Wisconsin boys team to play in the National League in the competition's seven-year history, after Kenosha's United FC in the 2011-12 season.

• The Milwaukee Bavarians Under-14 boys team went 8-0-1 this fall, outscoring opponents 33-4, and leads the Great Lakes North Division of the U.S. Club Soccer National Premier Leagues Midwest Developmental League. The other state side in the division, the Madison 56ers (7-4-0), are third in the nine-team league. In Under-13 action, the Bavarians (2-3-3) are fourth, the 56ers (1-9-2) are eighth and FC Wisconsin Nationals (0-8-1) are ninth. Play resumes in March, and all three state clubs have teams entered in the Under-15 through Under-18 age groups in the spring.