This Sunday, April 7, was the women's year-end tournament, which culminated in the final between league champs Ya Yas and their decade-long rivals, Source. Source keeper Maya Shultz let her goalie gloves do the talking and they said "no no" to the strikers from Ya Yas, though eventually Kari Dixon prevailed with a pair followed by Angela Muir's single, while Kara McDonnell scored Source's lone goal.
This women's league is an inspiring combination of striving and sportsmanship, as it seems the only one keeping score is the ref. To quote Fusion's Shelley Patrick, "Our game against the Ya Yas was great. They congratulated us and were happy for us. We considered it a win for us!"
Any of the women's teams could have won this tournament; the games were all close and sportsmanship was high. Ya Yas won the championship, with Source giving them a great game coming in second. Blazers and Sita's took third and fourth respectfully and the last three teams battled for the Cooler Cup. Mayhem beat the Banana Peppers in a close 3-2 game and Fusion finished last but surprised the number one team with a tie to open the tournament. Banana Peppers were voted most sportsmanlike team.
Meanwhile, the only time Sita's Ginny Blattler is more relentless than when she's on the pitch is when she is hustling around promoting a good cause, as with the 50-50 draw, where she raised $400 for a local cancer patient. ?Perhaps psychologists and political scientists studying well-being and good-will should spend time scribbling from the women's soccer sidelines, as they seem to have the secret.?
- Dave Rogers
