Peter Skene Ogden Secondary’s girls’ soccer team didn’t let a lack of substitutes stop them from competing in a 10-team tournament in Hope last weekend.
Assistant coach Steven Keller said the nine girls who participated showed grit and determination, finishing fifth overall with four wins and two losses. They scored 16 goals and stopped all but six against them.
“To play six games over two days is a very challenging schedule, especially without substitutions,” Keller said. “The girls battled every game, demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and were always there supporting each other.”
Keller said the girls were nervous going into the tournament, especially as most of them were juniors playing mostly senior teams. It also marked the first time in two years that they had played against teams outside the South Cariboo.
On Friday, the girls started off strong with a 5-1 victory over the Kamloops School of the Arts, with two goals by Aubrey Siclari. They followed up with a narrow 2-1 loss to Hope.
The girls came back to shut out Fraser Lake 2-0, thanks to goals from Sarah Balbirnie and Alexis Neels, before giving up the game to Clearwater 1-0. By that point, Keller said the girls were exhausted from playing back-to-back games in heavy wind and rain, with no substitutes.
On Saturday, the girls rallied in the playoffs with a 3-1 victory over Nechako Lakes, with goals by Siclari, Megan Holyk, and Ximena Cibrian. A repeat performance by the trio ended the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Fort St. James.
Keller said he was especially happy with the team’s defensive game. Sweeper Kim Baechmann, despite only being in Grade 8, was consistently strong on defence, facing off against older and bigger players as they tried to take a shot on goaltender Emma Theuring.
Both Keller and head coach Gerardo Cibrian were proud of their team’s performance.
“They had a lot of fun. They were exhausted at the end of it but it was a pretty happy group of players,” Keller said.
The girls will compete in Clearwater next month.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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