Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC USL Championship – Week 10 Riverhounds 1, Rhode Island FC 0 Match Stats: USL Championship Match Center Instant Match Summary The Riverhounds SC picked up a much needed full three points, earning the club’s first road victory in USL Championship play this season, beating Rhode Island FC, 1-0, at Centreville […]
The Riverhounds SC picked up a much needed full three points, earning the club’s first road victory in USL Championship play this season, beating Rhode Island FC, 1-0, at Centreville Bank Stadium, on Saturday afternoon in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Hounds captain and New England native, Danny Griffin scored the match’s lone goal — taking advantage after a Robbie Mertz corner kick was cleared away by driving a low, bouncing shot into the back of the net for his team leading third goal of the season.
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) May 24, 2025
It was a classic Lilleyball victory for the Hounds (3-5-2, 11 points), who struggled a bit at the start to gain control of the match as Rhode Island started off strong, with three shots on frame in the first 30 minutes.
Riverhounds goalkeeper Eric Dick made five saves for the clean sheet, including a close range chance which kept the shutout in the 86th minute.
The hosts led the way in key statistical categories including shots (13-10, 5-4 on frame) and possession (60/40).
First half
Dick was tested early, making his first stop on a long-range attempt by Clay Holstad barely two minutes into the match. Holstad would try his luck again on a volley in the 17th minute, and while it was struck well, Dick was in good position to make the save and control the ball.
The Hounds threatened early, as well, as Robbie Mertz struck a good shot of his own from 20 yards out on the left side, and it forced a diving stop by Rhode Island goalie Koke Vegas to push the ball around the post.
Another chance from just inside the box fell from a free kick to Rhode Island’s Maxi Rodriguez, but the former Detroit star pulled his open volley attempt wide right of the goal.
Griffin’s decisive strike came in the 37th minute from a corner kick that Rhode Island was only able to clear to near the top corner of the box. That was where Griffin struck the ball with his first touch, and his bouncing shot found its way through traffic and inside the near post.
Second half
Chances kept coming immediately after the teams returned. Rhode Island’s Frank Nodarse was barely off target with a volley less than four minutes after play resumed.
A minute later, Bertin Jacquesson nearly doubled the Hounds lead. His off-balance shot from inside the box struck the base of the left post but caromed away from danger.
As the half progressed, the Hounds moved into a more defensive posture, but Dick needed to make one more critical save in the 86th minute. A long cross from the right side cleared everyone in the middle of the field and fell to Rhode Island’s Jojea Kwizera alone on the left side. Kwizera took a touch toward goal and fired from a sharp angle, but Dick was able to smother the chance and leave no rebound.
The Hounds nearly added an insurance goal in the 90th minute when Charles Ahl found space on the left side of the box and beat Vegas with his shot, but Grant Stoneman cleared Ahl’s shot off the goal line to keep it a one-goal game.
The teams will meet again next week at Highmark Stadium, on Saturday, May 31, but the match will be a group stage match in USL’s Jagermeister Cup.
Look for a more detailed recap to follow here along with reaction from Head Coach Bob Lilley.
Match Day Updates
Look for match updates and commentary to be posted here.
FINAL — PITTSBURGH 1, RHODE ISLAND 0
90′ ++ — Augi Williams with a great chance in transition but it’s saved by Vegas!!
90′ — Charles Ahl chance is saved off the line!!
87′ — Yellow Card. Danny Griffin booked for some time wasting.
86′ — SAVE! Eric Dick denies close range chance for RIFC!
76′ – Hounds Subs
IN — Bradley Sample and Charles Ahl
OUT — Jacquesson and Mertz
66′ – Another good spell of possession, but it ends with the offside flag raised against Jacquesson.
59′ – Zach Herivaux shown RI’s second yellow card after a foul on Griffin after he released a pass. No advantage, free kick
49′ – OFF THE POST! Falling attempt by Jacquesson in the box, and it hits the base of the left stick squarely before ricocheting away.
HALF — PITTSBURGH 1, RHODE ISLAND 0
Good finish to the first half for the Hounds, who brought more quality build up and pressure in the last 15-20 minutes. Rhode Island started off the match on the front foot, but Pittsburgh remained solid defensively and brought an effective high press at times to stall and frustrate the hosts.
Hounds held shots edge (7-5) thought RIFC had three on frame while the Hounds had two between the posts. RIFC with 55/45 possession edge.
44′ – Walti creates a turnover and unleashes a shot that goes just high of the bar from 25! Nearly a second right before half
Good continued pressure from Hounds.
38′ – GOAL – Riverhounds
Danny Griffin
Started with Mertz corner — cleared out but right to Griffin’s foot. The Rhode Island native buries it.
— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) May 23, 2025
Preview / What’s at Stake?
The Riverhounds finish up a crazy April and May stretch of playing eight out of the last 10 matches on the road with a trip to Rhode Island, where they’ll face the defending Eastern Conference champs and USL Cup runner-up, Rhode Island FC at the brand spanking new Centreville Bank Stadium at Tidewater Landing, in yet another matinee kickoff on the road.
The Hounds have not won a league match since late March.
Thus, any result would be a positive, but especially three points. The Hounds (8 points) are still somehow right on the edge and above the playoff line and Rhode Island — thanks to two straight wins in league play are four points ahead in sixth place.
If the run of form for both clubs through the early part of the season is any indication, this contest could resemble a rock-fight.
Low-scoring matches have been the norm for both teams this season, and they also played to a 0-0 draw in their first-ever meeting in Rhode Island a year ago. Only 19 combined goals — for and against — have been scored in Rhode Island’s matches this year, and only five teams have a lower total than that, one of which is the Hounds with a league-low 16 goals scored in their nine contests.
Still, RIFC is coming off winning two matches on the road against teams at the bottom of the standings (see below) but they’ve yet to win a match in their new stadium. They might be feeling that this match-up vs the Hounds provides a solid opportunity given how much the Hounds have struggled on the road this season.
The clubs will play again next week in Pittsburgh, but it will be as part of USL’s Jagermeister Cup tournament round-robin play.
Rhode Island FC: A Closer Look
With Head Coach Khano Smith leading the way in the club’s first season, as a six seed out of the Eastern Conference, RIFC made a remarkable playoff run to the USL Championship Final — only to lose at Colorado Springs.
Much like they did a year ago, Rhode Island were meddling, playing in a lot of low scoring contests early in the season, but they enter this match with more momentum, delivering a six-point week on the road — beating two teams (Birmingham and Tampa Bay) at the bottom of the standings was exactly what they needed. In fact, Rhode Island FC is currently riding an unbeaten streak of four games, which is the third-longest in club history and longest since last season’s historic run to the USL Championship Final.
Former Hounds Golden Boot winner Albert Dikwa is coming back from injury and just getting back into his team’s regular rotation this month, while other former Hounds Marc Ybarra and Dani Rovira also have been unavailable for a large chunk of the season.
Low-scoring matches have been the norm for both teams this season, and they also played to a 0-0 draw in their first-ever meeting in Rhode Island a year ago.
Pittsburgh did put together an impressive shut out of Rhode Island in the return match at Highmark when they were pushing for a postseason spot.
Only 19 combined goals — for and against — have been scored in Rhode Island’s matches this year, and only five teams have a lower total than that, one of which is the Hounds with a league-low 16 goals scored in their nine contests.
Still, the wins at Birmingham and Tampa Bay showed that this squad could be just rounding into form at a good time.
Much like Bob Lilley coaches Riverhounds teams when they’re peaking, Smith’s squad does an excellent job of dictating terms of matches, especially in the past two wins.
They have solid defensive group, along with goalkeeper Koke Vegas and this year’s new addition, Aimé Mabika, has been strong at center back.
RIFC’s midfield was dynamic in the win at Tampa controlling possession and having been responsible for — not one or two, but three long-distance strikes that connected — first it was Clay Holstad in the first half, then former Rowdie Zachary Herivaux and Noah Fuson each scored from distance.
Here’s how RI lined up against Birmingham.
Riverhounds SC Personnel / What to Expect
The Riverhounds made the quick trip up from Philadelphia to the Ocean State following its midweek US Open Cup Round of 16 clash with MLS Philadelphia Union — a humbling 4-1 loss. Now, they have to recover and be ready for an important league match. The club had a light training session on Friday.
The good news for the Hounds is that they don’t have anyone on the injury report for the first time in a long time.
Despite the team’s struggles on the field through the early part of the season, Head Coach Bob Lilley has been able to dip deeper into the roster depth at times, but whether he’s truly found the best combination for success in producing a 90-minute performance is still yet to really happen.
Rhode Island are a good defensive team so the Hounds have to be more dynamic in the final third or this could be a long season.
There’s no sign that Danny Griffin and Jackson Walti or the center back core (Sean Suber and Beto Ydrach) will sit for any big league matches, even on the tail end of a three-match in eight day stretch.
Otherwise, the Hounds could opt to roll out Jacquesson and Augi Williams at the top of the attack again hoping they can finally break through. Primarily coming off the bench, Jorge Garcia is tied for the team lead in goals this season in all competitions with two strikes from behind the box. Maybe it’s time Garcia gets a chance to play extended minutes?
Could the Hounds also give veteran keeper Eric Dick a rest too?
Regardless, Pittsburgh will likely use most of if not all of their alotted subs to help them get to the finish line this week as they push for an all-important result on the road.
John K’s Projected Riverhounds Starting XI
John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).
Class of 2027 NCAA gymnastics recruits to look out for this elite season
As of June 15, gymnasts in the class of 2027 are permitted to commit to NCAA gymnastics programs. While these gymnasts will not be competing for their respective colleges until the 2028 season, a number of them will be busy competing elite through the summer and fall. As we head into the recruiting period for […]
As of June 15, gymnasts in the class of 2027 are permitted to commit to NCAA gymnastics programs.
While these gymnasts will not be competing for their respective colleges until the 2028 season, a number of them will be busy competing elite through the summer and fall. As we head into the recruiting period for the class of 2027, there is no time like the present to familiarize ourselves with the gymnasts that may be committing to top programs and making up the next class of college gymnastics legends.
Claire Pease – USA
For American fans, Claire Pease will be the most familiar name among the class of 2027 gymnasts. The WOGA standout burst onto the elite scene as a junior in 2024, winning the all-around titles at Winter Cup and U.S. Classic before becoming the U.S. junior all-around champion.
In her first year as a senior, Pease has already started to turn heads, winning the beam title at Winter Cup and the Antalya World Cup. While she has struggled a bit with consistency in 2025, when she hits, her exquisite technique sets her apart from her peers, especially on bars and beam.
Pease is currently qualified to the U.S Championships on vault and beam, but she is still in the hunt for an all-around berth. Look out for Pease’s sky-high Silivas on floor, inbar and Endo work on bars, and her packed-with-connections beam routine. With stars like Simone Biles and Suni Lee on hiatus after the Olympic year, Pease will be looking to challenge for a podium spot at nationals in August.
Lia Monica Fontaine – Canada
Along with Pease, Lia Monica Fontaine is probably the most decorated gymnast of the class, winning every Canadian Championships all-around title she has competed for since 2022.
Fontaine has taken 2025 by storm, winning this year’s Canadian Championship all-around title with a 54.316 – the highest all-around total of her career – while also taking home titles on vault and floor.
Fontaine’s double-twisting Yurchenko is easily one of the best we have seen this year, with a huge block and superb twisting form leading her to one of the best vault scores – 14.150 – that anyone has posted this season. Her power carries over to floor, where she competes a jam-packed routine complete with a Silivas and a front full through to double tuck.
Fontaine was named to the Canadian Pan American Championships team, where she placed second in the all-around and qualified for every event final. She went on to win the floor final with a 13.8 – one of the best international floor scores this season. After Pan Ams, she will come home immediately eligible to commit to a college program should she choose. Barring injury, the young star seems to be all but a lock for the Canadian Worlds team this coming fall.
Alyssa Guerrier Calixte – Canada
Although a rough beam performance during day one of the 2025 Canadian Championships kept her off the overall podium, Alyssa Guerrier Calixte posted the third-highest all-around score of the day on day two of the competition, behind only Fontaine and 2026 Utah commit Gabrielle Black.
Guerrier Calixte’s standout event is floor, where she won a silver medal at both this year’s International Gymnix and Canadian Championships. While she competed hard skills like a full-twisting double tuck and a Gomez turn, the real treat is in her expressive performance and dynamic choreography.
Along with Fontaine and Black, Guerrier Calixte was sent to Panama for Pan Ams, where she earned the sixth-highest all-around score (but the two-per-country rule kept her from officially placing), along with helping Canada win the team silver medal. While the two-per-country rule kept Guerrier Calixte from getting a reserve spot in the final, keep an eye out for her beam routine over the rest of the season – she has struggled to put all of the pieces together so far this year, but with a routine boasting a front handspring to front tuck, double turn, and double tuck dismount, she is due for big scores if she can hit.
Reese Esponda – USA
Reese Esponda gained notoriety among gymnastics fans in 2024 for her difficult floor routine, which included a Silivas, double layout, full-twisting double tuck, and a front tuck to double tuck – but this only scratches the surface of her potential on the event.
The Montana native went viral in early 2024 after posting a video of her performing a triple tuck onto a mat in the pit at a national team camp. The triple back is not the only unique skill Esponda has performed, however. She turned heads earlier this year when she debuted a front layout half to double tuck at an elite qualifier.
Esponda is no stranger to going viral either, with a 2023 video of her performing a side aerial to layout step-out to tuck full series on beam amassing over 14,000 likes. On top of all of this, Esponda originated a skill – the backwards butterfly jump on floor – that was added to the Code of Points after she performed it at the 2024 Baku World Cup (it was not named after Esponda due to its ‘B’ value – skills need to be rated at least ‘C’ to be named).
While Esponda is not currently qualified to nationals, her recent 51.700 all-around score at the Coastal Realm Elite Qualifier has qualified her for the American Classic and U.S Classic, giving her ample opportunity to earn her way there.
Lia Redick – Canada
After starting off her 2025 elite campaign with a bang, placing third in the all-around at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge and winning silver on beam in the accompanying Mixed Cup, Lia Redick had a fairly unsavory Canadian Championships, ending the competition in eighth.
Despite this, she was named to the Pan Ams team for the second year in a row. While a low difficulty score relegated her to sixth place in last year’s junior Pan Am beam final, Redick came back with a new and improved routine to win the event as a senior this year with a personal best international score of 13.267.
While her beam routine – fueled by a back handspring mount and a triple series – has been her highest scoring and most successful event in competition this year, Redick has the makings of a successful NCAA competitor on the other events. Her front layout to back 2.5 twist on floor and solid Yurchenko full look lineup ready for a number of college programs.
Ema Kandalova – Great Britain
Looking back to 2023, Ema Kandalova was a key junior gymnast for Great Britain, finishing third in the all-around at the European Youth Olympic Festival and being named to the British junior Worlds team.
With a British elite season yet to feature a Downie, Gadirova, or Kinsella, Kandalova was picked as part of the DTB Pokal Team Challenge squad in her first year as a senior. She made the most of the opportunity, bringing back bronze medals from the team competition and beam final.
Beam has been Kandalova’s most successful event since she turned senior, adding a silver at the 2025 British Championships to her DTB Pokal medal. She competes a clean, composed routine that features a switch leap mount and a split leap full.
With so many British gymnasts looking like they plan to take the year off, look out for Kandalova to gain some more international experience during her senior debut.
Natalia Jacoby – Serbia
Since switching to compete for Serbia, the Ohio-based Natalia Jacoby has earned numerous international assignments, including a spot on the Serbian team at this year’s European Championships.
Jacoby has close ties to gymnastics legend Svetlana Boginskaya, who coached her at Euros. As the only Serbian gymnast to compete at Euros, a spot on their Worlds team seems all but inevitable. If she makes it to Jakarta, watch out for her floor routine, which is performed to the same music as Silvia Mitova’s iconic 1992 Olympic routine (and her daughter Jessica Hutchinson’s 2023 tribute).
When not competing for Serbia, Jacoby trains alongside current elites Kelise Woolford, Avery Moll, and Jazlene Pickens at Buckeye Gymnastics in Ohio. While an ankle injury has hampered her difficulty scores so far this season, Jacoby’s technique has still shone through, particularly on bars and beam – the latter of which she starts off with a back handspring mount.
Story Links Union, N.J. (6/19/25) – The Kean University Athletic Department and women’s soccer program are saddened to inform the passing of Joseph “Joe” Colodne. “Joe was so many things,” stated head coach Brian Doherty. “A great coach, great mentor, great friend and more than that, just a great person. He was more than just […]
Union, N.J. (6/19/25) – The Kean University Athletic Department and women’s soccer program are saddened to inform the passing of Joseph “Joe” Colodne.
“Joe was so many things,” stated head coach Brian Doherty.“A great coach, great mentor, great friend and more than that, just a great person.He was more than just a coach in our program.He was an educator, a listener, someone to laugh endlessly with.He could have a conversation with anyone.Our student-athletes were lucky to have his guidance and insight.We will all miss him.”
Colodne recently completed his seventh year with the women’s soccer program as an assistant coach.He previously served as the assistant women’s soccer for Drew University from 2014-2018. Colodne also served as a staff coach with World Class FC from 2016-2018 and FC Copa from 2009-2016.
During his coaching stints, he captured two US Club regional titles, was a finalist for the NJ Youth Soccer State Cup and coached the #1 team in the state of New Jersey and the #5 team in the United States at the U18 level.
Colodne was a history teacher for Plainfield High School and received a bachelor’s degree in History from Rider University in 2002. During his time at Rider, he played collegiately on the Broncs men’s soccer team in 1997 and 1998.
Colodne is survived by his wife Madelaine and children Luca and Leilu.
Penn State women’s soccer incoming recruits | Penn State Soccer News
Penn State is headed into the 2025-26 season with seven new additions to its roster. Last fall, the blue and white battled through postseason play, making it to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. While the Nittany Lions fell 2-1 in overtime against UNC, they had an entertaining showing, beating Stony Brook, TCU and Vanderbilt in the […]
Penn State is headed into the 2025-26 season with seven new additions to its roster.
Last fall, the blue and white battled through postseason play, making it to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. While the Nittany Lions fell 2-1 in overtime against UNC, they had an entertaining showing, beating Stony Brook, TCU and Vanderbilt in the first three rounds of the tournament.
While the team went 15-7-3, earning their spot in the Elite Eight for the second year in a row, they lost several players for several reasons such as moves to the National Women’s Soccer League, graduating members and transfers.
With players leaving, also comes the arrival of new athletes and in Penn State’s situation, seven of them. Here’s seven new players to keep an eye on as the Nittany Lions look to grab an NCAA title.
Nicole Crane, forward
The Glen Rock, New Jersey, native played for World Class FC prior to signing with the blue and white. Throughout her career so far, Nicole Crane has proved to be a significant dominating factor.
The freshman forward was named to the 2022 and 2024 All-Conference New England Team. Along with that selection, she was on the U17 National Team Roster and 2024 ECNL All-American team.
The 5-foot-6 freshman was named All-State and Conference Player of the Year en route to a 2024 High School All-American selection while playing at Depaul Catholic High School.
Kennedy Ring, forward
Kennedy Ring has roots in East Greenbush, New York, where she played for Columbia High School. Like Crane, she played for World Class FC throughout her time in club soccer.
Ring was named a two-time ECNL All-American and ECNL Player of the Year. Receiving many decorations, and proving to be a wrecking force on the offensive for her teams, she was named to the U17 and U19 National teams, while she currently is a member of the U19-U20 player pool.
The Nittany Lions huddle before the Penn State women’s soccer game against Rutgers at Jeffrey Field on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2024 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions and the Scarlet Knights tied 1-1.
Megan Miller
Riley Cross, midfield
Riley Cross is one of three new midfielders coming to Happy Valley and slots in as the highest-ranked recruit in the class.
Like Ring and Crane, the Chatham, New Jersey, native also has national team experience — the 5-foot-8 midfielder has attended U15 and U17 training camps with U.S. Soccer and was named an alternate to the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
She played for Oak Knoll High School for her first three years, earning first team All-Conference honors twice and contributing a total of 55 goals in her first two seasons.
Senior year she joined Chatham High School, where she was named Conference Most Valuable Player and led her team to a state championship.
Hannah Jordan, midfield
Hannah Jordan comes all the way from Southlake, Texas, where she attended Southlake Carroll High School. The 5-foot-4 midfielder contributed to a 2022 UIL 6A State Championship and was named a first team All-District selection four times.
Club-wise, Jordan represented Solar SC, leading her team to two ECNL National Championships. She was named ECNL Conference Player of the Year and an ECNL All-American while also earning a spot on the U.S. Youth National Team.
Lily Ann Phillips, midfield
Lily Ann Phillips, a Hockessin, Delaware, native has always been a Penn State fan and dreamed of representing the blue and white from a very early age, she told The Sentinel.
She played for Saint Marks High School, serving as the team’s senior captain. She was named a Regional All-American last year and has had her share of appearances at USYNT camps and ID events.
Phillips played for Penn Fusion SA, where she led her team to the ECNL Final Four.
Penn State and Northwestern starting players line up before the Penn State women’s soccer game against Northwestern at Jeffrey Field on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 in University Park, Pa. Penn State defeated Northwestern 1-0.
Joey Tiger
Emma Fassora, defense
Emma Fassora calls Louisville, Colorado, home and is one of two new defenders picked up by Erica Dambach.
The 5-foot-7 freshman played for Real Colorado and led her team to a North American Cup title back in 2023. Additionally, Fassora contributed to her squad’s Northwest Conference Championship win in 2022.
Fassora has seen the USYNT Talent ID Center a notable three times. In the ECNL, Fassora was named to multiple ECNL Girl’s Northwest All-Conference teams.
Marlee Raymond, defense
Marlee Raymond stems from Cumming, Georgia, where she played at West Forsyth High School as a two-sport athlete partaking in both basketball and soccer.
Raymond was a key contributor to her school’s 2024 undefeated season and across her career was named All-Region, All-State and two time Defender of the Year.
Raymond represented United Futbol Academy in her club endeavors, receiving ECNL All-Conference honors, and participated on the USYNT U15, U16, U17 and U20 teams. One of her most notable accomplishments lies in her gold medal at the UEFA Tournament just last year.
College soccer fans have a lot to look forward to as these new forces embark on their collegiate journey and get the chance to contribute to a potential Penn State 2025 national championship run.
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A teen with no criminal background was deported by ICE, leaving his community aghast
For 19-year-old Emerson Colindres, it was supposed to be a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It turned out to be a trap. He never returned home. Colindres, who came to the United States with his family more than a decade ago to escape the violence in their native Honduras, was detained by ICE […]
For 19-year-old Emerson Colindres, it was supposed to be a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.It turned out to be a trap.He never returned home.
Colindres, who came to the United States with his family more than a decade ago to escape the violence in their native Honduras, was detained by ICE on June 4, just days after the talented student and soccer player graduated from high school in Cincinnati. Colindres, whose teammates said was one of the greatest players they met on the field, dreamed of continuing his sports career and hoped to attend a university. He did not have a criminal record, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
In the span of two weeks, Colindres went from celebrating his graduation to being detained by ICE to then being deported to a country where he has not lived since he was 8 years old.
“Sadly, he’s not the only one. I think there are a lot of Emersons in the same situation right now,” Bryan Williams, Colindres’ coach at the Cincy Galaxy soccer club, said ahead of the young man’s deportation. “They’re all the same story, someone who was here doing everything they were asked, trying to make a better life for themselves and their family, and now they’re being detained somewhere.”
Ada Bell Baquedano-Amador, of Cheviot, Ohio, says she and her son were fleeing violence in their native Honduras.Albert Cesare / The Enquirer via USA Today Network
While President Donald Trump has long promised to enact mass deportations, the administration initially said it would focus on criminals and bad actors who were in the country illegally.
But as pressure to increase deportations has grown, young people without criminal records — including teens like Colindres who have lived in the U.S. since they were children — have been caught up in immigration enforcement.
Colindres’ arrest did not go unnoticed.
Protests erupted in the Cincinnati area and outside the detention center in Butler County, Ohio, where Colindres was, for a time, being held. His coach, teachers, classmates and teammates — all called for the release of a beloved teenager who they said was unfairly ripped away from their tight-knit community.
On Wednesday, Colindres was deported.
“It’s devastating,” Johanna Froelicher, a middle school teacher who had Colindres as a student, told NBC News. “But we aren’t giving up on him.”
Coach Bryan Williams with Emerson Colindres.Courtesy Bryan Williams
Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, told NBC News “we are delivering on President Trump’s and the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe.”
McLaughlin said that during the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency, 75% of immigrants arrested had convictions or pending charges. According to reporting from Reuters, the top charges making up 39% of that total were traffic offenses or immigration-related crimes.
A senior spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News that immigrants arrested during routine check-ins, “had executable final orders of removal by an immigration judge and had not complied with that order. If you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen.”
After he was arrested, Colindres was spirited out to the Butler County jail, where Sheriff Richard Jones said about 450 immigrant detainees were being held after the sheriff’s office agreed to partner with the Trump administration.
On June 17, Colindres was taken from the jail and “none of us, including his family or legal team, have been informed where he was taken,” Froelicher said ahead of his deportation.
Jones said that Colindres never had any legal issues, and that he was given due process on his ability to stay in the U.S. through his immigration case. “He had a court order from a judge to be deported, and he was deported,” he said.
Emerson Colindres has lived in the U.S. since he was 8 years old.Courtesy Bryan Williams
Williams said he was shocked by the turn of events.
“These are your friends and neighbors,” Williams said. “They make your community what it is, and then one day they’re just gone.”
Colindres arrived in the U.S. in 2014 with his mother and sister at a time when many Central American families were fleeing gang violence and extreme poverty in their home countries.
“In Honduras, families have no security,” Colindres’ mother, Ada Bell Baquedano Amador, said in Spanish. “It’s a very complicated situation.”
Seemingly safe in the U.S., her family filed for asylum and settled in Cincinnati. And while they waited for their immigration case to play out, they started rebuilding their lives.
Colindres was a gifted student and “and did amazing academically,” said Froelicher, the middle school teacher who is now a family friend and supporter.
When he wasn’t hitting the books, Colindres was on the soccer pitch and quickly became a star player at a local soccer club. “He’s continued to be beloved by anyone who came in contact with him,” Froelicher said.
Baquedano Amador said she is so grateful to have Colindres as her son.
“As a mom, sometimes I don’t even have words for how much I thank God for Emerson,” she said. “I’m so proud of him.”
The family’s hopes for a future in the U.S. took a hit after an immigration judge denied their asylum application and in 2023 they were given a final order of removal, Baquedano Amador said.
Colindres aspired to continue playing soccer and attend college.Courtesy Bryan Williams
During the Biden administration, immigration officials were ordered to exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis and to prioritize deportation for immigrants with criminal convictions who were a threat to national or public safety.
So instead of immediate deportation, Baquedano Amador was given an ankle monitor and ordered to check in with ICE.
When Colindres came of age, he too was given a schedule to check in with ICE and told he too would soon have to don an ankle monitor, his mother said.
Williams said to boost the morale of his star player, he started going with Colindres to his ICE check-in appointments. And June 4, he also brought along his wife and son.
But Colindres was not allowed to return home that day in a pattern seen around the country of immigrants showing up for what were once routine appointments and being taken into ICE custody for deportation.
“They took him out of the building in handcuffs,” Williams said. “My son got to see him and give him a hug and tell him he loved him. But one of his good friends was in handcuffs being taken away and he doesn’t know if he’s ever going to see him again.”
McLaughlin said in a statement that Colindres had a final order of removal from 2023 and that “if you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen.”
Froelicher said Colindres and his family are not the kind of migrants the Trump administration should be targeting.
“He and his family have literally done every single thing that they have been asked,” Froelicher said. “They have complied with everything because they’re just such good people. They truly want to be here and they wanted to do things the right way.”
“This is not just about policy,” Froelicher added. “This is about human lives. These are real people with dreams and aspirations.”
Colindres’ soccer teammates said they can’t picture celebrating their graduations without him.
“He is one of my closest friends,” said 18-year-old Alejandro Pepole, who said he has known Colindres for about 10 years. “Emerson has always been a very funny guy. I never saw him in a bad mood. Every time we hung out on or off the field, he was always uplifting people’s moods and he always had a smile on his face. He was overall just a very good person and what he’s going through right now just isn’t right.”
Pepole said Colindres was an inspiration on the soccer field.
Colindres, he said, “can just do everything as a player. He wins us games. He’s like the main goal scorer. He controls the game. And he’s just an overall good team leader as well.”
And Colindres was ambitious, his friends said.
“He had a dream to play at the next level in soccer and eventually play professionally,” Preston Robinson, 18, said. “You could tell by the amount of effort he put in and how good he was, it was definitely possible for him. We were trying to help him get to the next level for soccer, no matter what it took.”
Robinson said he was shocked when Colindres was arrested.
“He was going there expecting to just have a check-in, like he was supposed to be doing, and then they took him away,” he said. “It was almost like he got trapped, which just doesn’t seem fair.”
Colorado College’s Kris Mayotte was “too critical” of team during Tigers’ 8-0 start, notes coaching hires reflect commitment to winning | Sports
This article is part of a series of stories stemming from a lengthy interview with Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte in mid-June. Colorado College hockey coach Kris Mayotte mirrors the shifting college hockey landscape around him. There will be no shortage of changes coming to college hockey in the 2025-2026 season. As collegiate athletics as […]
This article is part of a series of stories stemming from a lengthy interview with Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte in mid-June.
Colorado College hockey coach Kris Mayotte mirrors the shifting college hockey landscape around him.
There will be no shortage of changes coming to college hockey in the 2025-2026 season. As collegiate athletics as a whole adjust to schools now being able to pay athletes directly. Thanks to the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, college hockey specifically will change with the inclusion of Canadian Hockey League players this coming season.
But the evolution of the sport isn’t just external. Mayotte is evolving as a coach. He reflected on a 2024-2025 season in which CC underachieved and acknowledged he could have handled his team’s undefeated start differently.
“I think I’m my best when it’s about building belief and optimism and the work that it takes to earn that. But I think when I reflect on last year, and we start 8-0 and I didn’t think we were playing very good hockey, even though we were 8-0. I probably was a little too critical,” Mayotte said. “And not that you can’t be critical, but I don’t think I blended keeping a team grounded with building belief at the same time. I think I was too much about keeping them grounded because I didn’t think we were playing up to our potential.”
Mayotte kept his reflections and his commitment to maintaining a winning culture in downtown Colorado Springs in mind when hiring Paul Pooley, the former associate head coach at Notre Dame, for the same position at CC. Pooley replaces Peter Mannino, who parted ways with the Tigers in the offseason. Mayotte also hired former Michigan Tech assistant Jordy Murray to the same position at CC following the departure of Andrew Oglevie to Notre Dame.
According to Mayotte, Pooley’s decades of experience around a winning culture for the Fighting Irish were a key factor in his hiring.
“Bring in a guy like Paul who’s just been around it so much and has such a good feel on what the goals are and what the priorities are, and the experience of keeping it going forward,” Mayotte said. “His experience obviously speaks for itself: seven Frozen Fours, two national championships, and a ton of All-Americans, obviously. So it’s that background of he’s developed a lot of players, but he’s been around a lot of winning, and this is what it looks like, and this is how you act, and this is what it should feel like.”
Stanley Cup damaged as Panthers celebrate another title
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Stanley Cup is a little banged up, thanks to the Florida Panthers’ celebration of back-to-back titles. The bowl of the famous trophy is cracked and the bottom is dented. Not for the first time and likely not the last. WATCH BELOW: Fans celebrate Stanley Cup win with players Panther fans […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Stanley Cup is a little banged up, thanks to the Florida Panthers’ celebration of back-to-back titles.
The bowl of the famous trophy is cracked and the bottom is dented. Not for the first time and likely not the last.
WATCH BELOW: Fans celebrate Stanley Cup win with players
Panther fans celebrate ‘electric’ Stanley Cup victory
The Panthers won their second consecutive championship on home ice Tuesday night, beating Edmonton in six games. The team, following decades of tradition, partied with the Cup into the wee hours and kept the revelry going in Fort Lauderdale well into Wednesday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Hockey Hall of Fame said the keepers of the Cup are taking the appropriate steps and plan to have it repaired by the celebration parade on Sunday. Made of silver and a nickel alloy, the 37-pound Cup is relatively malleable.
Damage is nothing new for the 131-year-old chalice that has been submerged in pools and the Atlantic Ocean and mishandled by players, coaches and staff for more than a century. Just this decade alone, the Tampa Bay Lightning dropped the Cup during their boat parade in 2021 and the Colorado Avalanche dented it on the ice the night they won the following year.
Read more of WPTV’s coverage of the Florida Panthers’ second straight title win:
Panthers
PANTHER PARTY! Players, fans celebrate Stanley Cup victory
Panthers
PHOTOS: Panthers, fans celebrate back-to-back Stanley Cups
Panthers
Sam Bennett wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP
Panthers
Brad Marchand plays key role in Panthers’ 2nd championship
Panthers
Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champs, defeat Oilers in 6 games
