The U18 girls Storm team has been playing together on the same team for the past six years. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, as for most of the players this will be the last year they can play youth soccer.
Throughout the years, these girls have shown dedication to this sport: practicing and playing in adverse weather conditions (so you know these players are tough)! The worst was playing through a snowstorm to finish a game in Tsawwassen. Another time it was so hot that the parents had to run out to buy water guns and sprayers to keep the team cool. We even played games with only eight or nine players (usually there are 11 players per side) yet still did extremely well!
This year, the girls have had their best year ever! They finished in the top three teams of their division (this is including 13 teams in the Lower Mainland) and they also qualified for a league cup game. That is when the two top teams qualify for the final game to determine first and second place.
As most Coasters will know, we have had quite a bit of snow these last few weeks! This affected our access to the soccer fields. It became a challenge when we learned we qualified for the finals, and we were going to host this final game. We knew that unlike having a turf field, even though the snow melts, we still may not be able to use a grass field until the water drained sufficiently. So, we were prepared to travel to West Vancouver to use their turf field. However, in the nick of time, the field at Hackett Park became available and we were able to host the game on March 5.
The game started with so many mixed emotions, as the girls realized that they qualified for the league championship and that for many of the senior players on the team, this was going to be their last league game for youth soccer. The girls played hard against the other team and for quite some time no goals were made. Late in the first half, we scored leading the other team 1-0. After half time, the girls played hard again and this time, there was a pass from the sweeper (last defender) all the way to one of the wings resulting in a second goal. This meant that our sweeper got an assist, and we were ahead 2-0. For a long while, our goal tender had a shut-out and did tremendously well saving many shots on net. Near the end of the second half, the other team managed to sneak in a single goal. The girls then picked up their pace and maintained a strong defense for the rest of the game, resulting in a win with a final score of 2-1. What a game!
Congratulations to the U18 Girls Storm for winning first place in their division. What a way to finish the league season. Well done!
