|
WMSC 2008 Walter Kirchener
Tournament
June 14/15, 2008
Woodstock, Ontario
The Sarnia Spirit traveled to
Woodstock, Ontario for their 2nd tournament of
the season, facing off against the Woodstock Spurs,
Stratford Strikers, Flamborough Flames, Woolwich Youth
Soccer, and Petrolia Oil Barons.
Sarnia was in Division 2 with
Woolwich and Petrolia, with the top 2 moving on to play in
the Semi-Finals on Sunday.
Sarnia played 3 matches on
Saturday versus Woolwich, Stratford, and Petrolia. All of
the games on Saturday were played off-site at McIntosh Park
at a smaller pitch than the girls were used to. Given the
Spirit’s high powered attack that relies heavily on long
through balls to their forwards, the smaller field was a
major disadvantage going into the day.
The opening matches featured a
great deal of end to end action that kept all Goal-Keepers
on their toes. Due to the shortened field many balls were
trapped by the opposing keepers before the Spirit’s forwards
could complete their runs. Sarnia spent much of the time in
the early stages of each match adjusting to the smaller
pitch, which did put them down going into their third
match. However, the Sarnia Spirit kept the opening games
close enough to allow for either a tie or a win to put them
into the Semi-Final.
Sarnia’s third match of the day
came against their regular season opponents, the Petrolia
Oil Barons. Sarnia was fairly confident going into the game
having beaten Petrolia 8-1 back on May 21st, but
Petrolia was determined to redeem themselves for the loss
and make their way into the Semi’s on Sunday. It was a very
tight match with opportunities on both ends, but when it was
all said and done, the match ended in a 0-0 draw earning
Sarnia a birth in the Semi-Finals.
The Spirit went up against the
opening round leaders, the Stratford Strikers, for a second
time in the tournament. Thankfully the Semi-Final matches
were played on a regular sized pitch that better suited
Sarnia’s style of play. Sarnia showed major signs of
improvement from their play on Saturday and kept Stratford
within striking distance for much of the match; however,
when the final whistle blew Stratford had won the game by a
score of 4-0. Stratford later went on to win the
tournament.
The Sarnia Spirit had a very
good showing in Woodstock, placing a respectable 4th
place against some very talented squads. The Spirit now
have 2 tournaments under their belt as a group and continue
to show improvement as the year progresses. If this group
manages to stay together for an extended period of time, we
should expect to see great things in the games, tournaments,
and years to come. The girls’ next big test will be on July
5th and 6th in Newmarket. |
