The Vernon United Tolko U12 Girls Vikettes kicked off and capped the 40th annual Kamloops Youth Soccer Association Slurpee Cup with decisive 5-0 victories over two Kootenay outfits.
In between, they dropped a pair of tight 2-1 contests to Alberta sides.
In the Saturday opener against South Kootenay, Sophie Challen intercepted the ball at midfield and quickly countered up the gut to Julia McLennan, and she bulged the netting to the keeper’s right.
Kootenay’s best chance came late in the half. A cross found the red striker in front, but defender Jayda Hatch came up with a massive block in front of the gaping net.
Vernon erupted for four in the second half. First, Lauren Cooke charged down the left wing, cut sharply to the inside, and beat the keeper with a banger against the grain. Next, Chloe Lu capitalized following rapid-fire rebounds from Cooke and Sophia Winstanley.
Then, Ava Cesario sent a long ball up the middle to McLennan, who finished with another clinical strike. Finally, Challen and McLennan combined to set the table for Game MVP Holly Magnus to step in off the left wing and hammer it home. Rylee Mairs and Jennie Pereboom anchored a Vernon backline that Kootenay could not crack.
On Sunday morning, with the Vikettes trailing the Red Deer Renegades 1-0 late, Mairs launched a long-range missile that the keeper could not control, and Magnus rushed in to bury the equalizer. Only a minute later, Red Deer scrummed in the winner. Sophie Challen, who won balls all over the pitch with her hustle and bustle, was named game MVP.
Mairs took MVP honours against Edmonton Scottish United on Sunday afternoon, as she donned the keeper’s jersey and gloves and kept her team in the game.
Brilliant throughout, Mairs made an absolutely astounding save in the second half. While airborne, she reacted to a deflection in front by stretching out a leg to direct the ball over the bar.
Later, she punted to Cesario, who worked a high-speed give-and-go with Magnus before dispatching the ball to the back of the net. On Monday, Cooke bagged the first goal against the East Kootenay Rovers from the edge of the box, blasting a free kick into the top corner.
Mairs then lofted a ball downfield for Olivia Henderson, and she slipped through the Rover defence and drilled one into the right side of the net.
Magnus took over the game in the second half. She nailed her first goal after a clever volley pass by Jasmine Soon in the area. Her second, from in tight, came after a penetrating throw-in by Pereboom and slick touches by Henderson and Cesario.
One minute on, Henderson found the hot foot again with a splendid goal-mouth cross. Magnus belted it in for the natural hat trick. Vikette keeper Aimee Glasser used her whip-fast reflexes to deliver the shutout. Hard-charging winger Sophia Winstanley earned the medal for game MVP.
The United Tolko Coldstream Lumber U14 Girls finished 2-2 in Kamloops.
The Lumber crew drew 2-2 with Williams Lake U15s in their first game with Brooklyn Kineshanko striking first off of a stunning cross from Mya Robinson.
The Vernon girls kept the heat on with pressure from Robinson, Ava Proctor and Shirelle Nickoli. The defensive line, lead by Allie and Mia Maltman, held Williams Lake off until early in the second half when the Stampede city gang counted two quick goals.
Late in the half, Robinson levelled the score from a lofty cross sent from Skylee Sigurdson-Poirier. Allie Maltman took MVP.
West Coast United of Nanaimo blanked Vernon 2-0 with MVP Jordyn Kisilevich recording some stunning saves.
Robinson and Paige Maleska made some slick plays in the second half but were denied by the Nanaimo keeper. Nadia Nelson-Shah and Emma Glasser played dynamic defence to keep things close.
Vernon then brushed off the Richmond Galaxy 2-1 with Robinson converting on a breakaway and then adding insurance with help from a colossal kick by keeper Eddy. Nelson-Shah was named MVP.
United finished by falling 3-0 to the Kamloops Blaze White. Maleska applied good pressure up front and earned MVP.
Tolko United U11 White went 2-2 in the same tournament, losing 4-1 to Kamloops Blaze 4-1, defeating Kamloops Blaze Prospects 4-0, bowing 8-0 to North Shore and finishing with a 2-1 victory over Whistler Avalanche.
Emi Nicolson, from Grace Collins, Sophie Scott from Poppy O’Brien, Charlotte Schommer from sister Lily, and Emelia Bolin scored in the 4-0 win. Sierra Munroe and Miya Nicolson shared the shutout.
Charlotte Schommer scored the lone goal against the Blaze, and she and Munroe supplied one each in the 2-1 win over Whistler. Kianna Gardner and Addison Royal played solid in the midfield all weekend while Kate Holmes was great in net.
The United U13 Strikers finished third in their division at the Slurpee Cup.
The Strikers lost 3-2 to the Richmond Red Bulls in their Saturday opener despite dominating chances.
The Red Bulls took a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute before Vernon equalized one minute later after Emery Medwedew converted a Makenna Doyle cross.
The Red Bulls scored twice before game MVP Adelynn Heyes replied for the Strikers, who got stellar goalkeeping from Jesse Mitchell.
Later that same day, United tied the Kamloops Blaze 1-1 at Singh Bowl #1 with Jordyn Clarke pounced on a rebound in the eighth minute.
The Blaze equalized in the final minutes Kirsten Brown was MVP.
The Strikers lost 1-0 to the Richmond Thunder Sunday morning with Anna Hirschkorn selected Striker MVP for marvellous midfield play, while Ashlee Befus took Player of the Match.
Vernon bounced the Red Bulls 2-1 in their final match with goals in the final 15 minutes.
Medwedew tied it and Abby Lawlor provided the winner. Medwedew was selected game MVP, while Tori Maltman earning the warrior belt as player of the match.