What a weekend! Amy's team were playing in a soccer tournament in North Western Maryland and we spent Saturday and Sunday up there in awful weather! But, awful weather seems to suit us as WE WON!!!!!!! It was fantastic. The girls played so well and ran their little hearts out and they truly deserved the victory when all was said and done. Here is the story of how everything unfolded - I submitted this to our local newspaper in the hopes it will be published on Friday.
CSA Select Sharks (Gold) – Girls U9 Bethesda Thanksgiving Tournament Champions 2008
They came from far and wide – from as far as Georgia in the south to New York in the north but the ones to watch in the Girls U9 Chesapeake division were from that little known county of Calvert. The CSA Select Sharks (Gold) are a Select travel team who were formed in October 2007 and who currently play competitively in the Central Maryland Short Sided League (CMSSL). After a slightly frustrating Fall season they set their sights on the Bethesda Thanksgiving Tournament playing teams from the likes of Alexandria, Arlington and Damascus who currently compete in the Washington Area Girls Soccer (WAGS) league.
Sharks (Gold) were to play Damascus Sparks in the first game. After training hard all week, participating in Technical Training, Speed & Agility training and regular tactical training with Coaches Shaun Nicholson and Rick Quade, the girls were fired up and ready to put every piece of soccer knowledge and experience into practice. From kick off everything fell into place. Passing was crisp and clean, first touches on the ball were golden, defense was solid and steady and the goalies were frozen as they barely had a thing to do – everyone else on the field was making sure of that. The Sharks took the lead quickly with 2 goals from guest player Jôn Glass followed up with a striking volley from Amy Nicholson. Keaton Neal, another guest player also got on the score sheet twice and made her presence in the team felt by everyone. Delaney Tedtsen who plays sweeper was able to break free in defense and charge up the field striking two goals home and truly showing what this team is made of. Jôn Glass kept up her attack and managed a total of 5 goals after terrorizing the defense. Every player stepped up their game.
And then came the rain! Afternoon games at the Muldoons Farms site in Poolesville MD were cancelled due to severe weather and a Tornado Watch which had been posted for the area. Make up games were rescheduled for the following morning which meant that the Sharks could potentially have 3 games the following day. Another early start on Sunday morning took the team back to Poolesville. The weather had turned bitterly cold and windy and this posed a challenge to the 8 and 9 year old girls let alone the parents, grandparents and siblings shivering on the sidelines. The early morning game against Alexandria United was a hard, physical game. Alexandria won the toss and chose to run down hill in the first half which gave them the advantage and helped them to a 4-0 lead by half time. In the second half the Sharks came back fighting and grinding out every possible chance on goal and they managed to pull the score back to 4-3. One of those goals was scored by Sarah Mazzella after a great break through the defensive line. Defense was solid once again with Emily Gibson and Tessa Quade giving everything they had and not missing a beat. Goalie Alyssa Wilson even saved a penalty kick with a phenomenal save to keep CSA in the game. The game ended 4-3 and with league play over both the CSA Select Sharks and Alexandria were through to the semi finals.
The Sharks met Arlington TSA Chaos in the semi final. The weather had turned even colder and the winds were rising but the girls were ready to enter into battle one more time to secure their place in the finals. They started strong with everyone pushing up at every opportunity. Hannah Cleary was elbowed in the face and left the field with a suspected broken nose but this did not rattle their confidence and their defensive line held the fort and allowed the goalies an easy game. Jôn Glass scored all 3 goals after great touches on the ball from the midfield and winger Annabella Ferrante. Arlington managed to grab a goal back but they couldn’t get back in the game enough to deny the Sharks their spot in the final.
At 2.30pm on a freezing cold Sunday afternoon the CSA Select Sharks took center stage in the Championship game and once again they faced Arlington Chaos. The Sharks knew exactly what they had to do to win this game and this time Coaches Shaun and Rick came with a slightly different game plan. The starting whistle blew and The Sharks were out of the starting blocks. Little Brooke Bogaczyk was off like a fire cracker running the wing and firing in a shot with her left foot to take the lead! After gathering composure the girls held it together and some phenomenal passing and trick play took over. Everyone played hard and when Delaney Tedtsen saw an opportunity to sweep the ball through the midfield she did exactly that and took a shot 20yds from goal to score the second of the game. Now it was time to hang tight and close up shop with a defensive line of 4 girls. Morgan Lennon played goalie in the second half and she gave an inspiring performance saving shots left, right and center. Alexandria pulled a goal back with only 5 minutes of normal time remaining. The Sharks had injuries again as these girls were fighting hard for every ball that came their way but every player got a chance to play their part in a spectacular and gritty display of passionate soccer. With parents and coaches on both sides of the field holding their breath and nervously counting down the seconds, the final whistle blew and the victory went to the underdogs, CSA Select Sharks (Gold)! Coach Shaun Nicholson said after the final game “I think my heart stopped at least 3 times during the last 5 minutes of the game. The girls were phenomenal this weekend and they really took everything they had learned onto the field and showed that CSA Select is a force to be reckoned with. We are all thrilled and very proud of their achievement!”
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