|
|
|
GU10 Win Another Championship Title! FC Blades GU-10 team defeated Beach FC White 5-4 on penalty kicks to win the Orange County Kickoff Classic in Irvine and capture their third tournament title of the summer. In four tournament games, Goalkeeper and Tournament MVP, Patricia Block, sweeper Kelly Cottone and defenders Madison Benjamin, Jasmine Hollins, Asuka Nagasawa and Victoria Woolfolk tallied three shutouts and allowed just one goal.
The Blades opened pool play with a pair of 2-0 victories over Oxnard FC Premier and Laguna Niguel SC.
The Blades dominated the first half action against Oxnard, but were unable to score until just before halftime when Molly Torrell pounded a shot into the back of the net from the 18 yard line. In the second half, after a diving save by Block kept the Blades ahead, Torrell took an Alice Shiga pass and blasted it past the keeper for the final margin of victory.
In the eighth minute against Laguna Niguel, Averee Dubach beat her defender with a brilliant step over move to put the Blades up 1-0. Skilled play by midfielders, Shiga, Lauren Medow, Cassandra Opre and Iva Petkov kept the Blades in control for much of the second half. Following a Laguna Niguel tripping foul, Torrell scored on a free kick to secure the 2-0 victory.
Against Beach FC White in the final game of pool play, the Blades struck first when Torrell and Shiga found Hollins who sliced a shot just past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Shiga then found Dubach with a perfectly placed through ball for the second goal in the Blades 2-0 victory.
In the final, a rematch against Beach FC White, the teams fought to a 0-0 draw at half time. Five minutes into the second half, Opre juked her defender and fired a shot that went just wide of goal, but was alertly gathered-up by Dubach who scored for a 1-0 Blades lead. Beach answered quickly with a shot over the leaping Block for the 1-1 tie. In the penalty kick round, Block made two critical saves and Torrell, Opre, Petkov, Dubach and Cottone scored to give the Blades the victory and tournament championship. |
|
|
|
|