The Vernon United Tolko U13 Girls finished the Thompson Okanagan Youth Soccer League regular season with a pair of clean-sheet wins.
On Saturday, June 22, Vernon took down the Kamloops Blaze 1-0 at Marshall Field. For the first 18 minutes, neither keeper was tested, until Vernon’s Camryn Steele busted in to one-time a Lauren Cooke pass into the block of the onrushing goalie.
A few minutes later, Marrah Wilford-Kaleikini came up big, diving to her right to pull in a hard low shot. Kamloops came close again during a wild scramble, but Sophie Challen threw herself in front of a Blaze blast to take away a sure goal. Then, in the 26th minute, Ava Cesario showed her quality, as she beat her mark to the ball at midfield, sidestepped another defender, and outpaced the wide back, crossing to Sydney Lewis, who finished with a bolt inside the left post.
Pinned in their own end for much of the second half, Vernon’s defence held, backstopped by the unflappable Wilford-Kaleikini. Hardworking Olivia Henderson helped to win balls to relieve some of the pressure. But when a third-straight Kamloops corner produced a clear shot, Wilford-Kaleikini stood tall and would not be beat. While Lewis, Cesario, Steele, and Lauren Cunningham led counterattacks, it wasn’t long before Kamloops renewed their onslaught. Time and again the Blaze were frustrated by the timely clearances of Jayda Hatch, Jasmine Soon, and Taylor Stewart. Late in the game, fullback Brinnley Magee showed her keen defensive awareness, sticking to her mark to prevent a backdoor shot off a dangerous cross. In the dying seconds, Kamloops looked to have an opening, but Magee raced over to cut off the winger and dispossess her of the ball.
On Sunday, Vernon upended Shuswap FC 3-0. Coach Rob Cesario shook things up by starting his usual centre-backs, Hatch and Soon, as strikers. The move paid off immediately. In the first minute, Olivia Henderson serviced the ball to Soon, who after a give-and-go with Hatch, dispatched it from the top of the box into the top corner of the goal. Seconds later, Ella Garrod and Henderson connected with Soon again, and she accelerated into the clear, but was denied by the sprawling Shuswap keeper.
In the 15th minute, Cunningham stepped up from the back line to launch a long, aerial through ball to Sydney Lewis, who broke in and netted Vernon’s second. The Tolko girls continued to put on a passing clinic. Before the half, Julia McLennan, Ava Cesario, and Challen worked the ball around to Garrod, whose cross was volleyed sharply on net by Steele, precipitating another remarkable save.
Early in the second half, Sophia Winstanley and Cunningham moved the ball upfield at pace to set up Challen for quick strike on goal. Garrod then went back to work, feeding Lauren Cooke and McLennan for high-quality chances and also giving the Salmon Arm keeper trouble with a long drive of her own. On the left side, Cooke was a constant threat. Ava Cesario capped the scoring late, taking a Cunningham pass and carving through the Shuswap defense like a slalom course, before slipping the ball inside the far post.
VERNON UNITED TOLKO BLUE U12 BOYS
Tolko split their June 22-23 league games.
Strong defence by Jonah Petrone, Colton Visser, David Kitzman and goalie Keaton Lamoureux wasn’t enough for Vernon against the Kamloops Blaze in the first game, as the Blaze got the only goal in a 1-0 win.
In the second game, excellent defence by Cole O’Conner, Carter Gislason, Jake Earle and Liam Mallow, along with a shutout by allowed for a fantastic 1-0 win by Tolko. Bentley Oyarzun scored the winning goal. Thanks to coach Kevin for all of his hard work.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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