A battle of wits was recently seen on the soccer pitch in Victoria as Powell River Cobras U13 girls’ soccer team took on the Lower Island champion Gordon Head/Prospect Lake in a one game winner takes all. They fought for the Island Cup championship, one of the longest running youth championships in the province, and came out victorious.
The Cobras travelled the night before to ensure they were well rested and ready for the match. Having worked hard at practice on set plays, the girls put their opening kickoff to good use as they scored 10 seconds into the match. Playing off the confidence the early goal gave them they pressed hard offensively and came close to expanding their lead on more than one occasion. Gordon Head seemed thrown off by the early tally as well as the pressure and showed very little in the way of offence in the first half. The Cobras opened up a two-goal lead before half time which gave them some breathing room to start the second half.
Taking a 2-0 lead into the final 35 minutes the Cobras never let up. However, their opponents seemed revitalized and started to venture into the Powell River end. This opened up the field for the Cobras to use their speed up front creating more chances. About 15 minutes into the second half an unfortunate Gordon Head hand ball in the penalty area gave the Cobras the opportunity to pad their lead, which they did. The game ended a 3-0 victory for the 2011 U13 Girls Island Champions, Powell River Cobras.
All players contributed to the victory and have been strong all season. On the back end Cassidy Ball, Ricci Leitch, Carolyn Smith, Sydney Liknes and Emily Mayenburg were solid turning back their opponents whenever the need arose. Outside midfielders MacKenzie Balzan, Santana Huetzelmann, Allahna Somji, Destiny Dendewicz and Callie MacNeil all had strong games defensively and offensively. Middle of the midfield was dominated by Brittany Harry, Ondreah Kristof and Braea Mayenburg. In net Elise Hocking didn’t have a lot to do, however, when required she stood tall and preserved the shutout. Up front the strikers Rachel Horspool, Emily White and Calli-Ann Abbott used their speed, strength and determination to put pressure on the opponent’s defence and keeper causing many turnovers and creating scoring chances. Sydney Hanson was unable to play due to injury but she was the team’s leading supporter on the sidelines and showed what team spirit is all about.
