The Sunshine Coast Thunder U12 girls finished their first season of rep soccer in second place at the Surrey Mayor's Cup tournament March 11.
The first game Saturday was against the Killarney Cougars, and the Thunder showed offensive fire in the match. Alyssa Rive and Hollie Piepjohn pursued the ball aggressively and got several promising shots at the net.Georgie Aleong was the only one to convert, scoring two goals. Defender Emma Cooney received a player of the match for her solid performance.
In a downpour, the girls played their second game of the day against the Kamloops Blaze. Ingrid Hansen and Lulu Kammerle played a strong game on defence, holding Kamloops to the outside of the field for much of the match.
Kiah Duffy scored the lone goal for the Thunder, but the Blaze tied up the match. Penalty kicks were needed to determine the winner. Five rounds were needed, creating a lot of tension and excitement. Mikayla Towert scored the fifth PK for the Thunder and goalkeeper Pearl Deasey made an amazing save on the Blaze shot, to give the Thunder the win. Alyssa was chosen player of the match.
On day two, the Thunder were tied at the top of the standings with the home-town Central City Breakers.
At noon the two teams faced off to determine who would play in the U12 girls final. MacKenzie Inksater and Nisha Wells played hard at defensive midfield, shoring up the defence and frustrating the Breakers' attempts at offence.
The game ended in a 0-0 draw, and once again penalty kicks were needed to determine a winner. Hollie scored the winning goal for the Thunder, and Pearl Deasey was chosen as player of the match.
In the battle for first, the Thunder faced Burnaby United. The hard-fought game was evenly matched and scoreless at the half.
United scored in the second half, but the Thunder did not give up, playing hard until the final whistle, but were unable to get through the stand-up Burnaby defenders. Georgie was chosen player of the match, and the Thunder finished the tournament in second place.
Congratulations to the team, coaches and parents on a fantastic first season.
- Submitted
