The wins might not have been there but the effort certainly was for Vernon Tolko United U14 girls soccer team.
The club went 0-3 at the annual Icebreaker Tournament in Lake Country on the Easter weekend.
Tolko opened against the defending provincial champions, Kamloops Blaze, and fell 4-1.
Juliette Freathy, Hallie Cameron and Jamiee Thomas saw a lot of action and defended with skill and determination, along with United keeper Carmel Durfield. It was a physical game and and Jaydyn Packwood, Abby Ellis and Ashlynn Funston used their speed and accuracy to check their opponents effectively.
Stina Genge and Peyton Siedmann hustled well to help build some offensive momentum for Vernon while June Platje, Ofelia Thompson, Rielle Marcotte and Macy Gislason worked hard with excellent passes, keeping themselves open. It wasn’t until Emily Boyd was able to make a pass to Charlotte Routley, who was able to score, that the team saw their first goal.
A late goal in Game 2 saw Nelson defeat Vernon 3-2. Boyd, Funston, Platje, Thompson and Routley had a number of shots on net for Tolko.
After falling behind 1-0, Danika Vienneau, Brooklyn Bergam and Bella Gudeit worked hard and did some tough checking to keep the ball in United’s possession. Nelson made it 2-0 before United got a pair of terrific goals from Boyd and Routley. Macy Gislason was in goal for United.
The third game against Kelowna was a very hard-fought battle that saw K-town score in the final 10 seconds for a 1-0 win.
Boyd, Routley, Marcotte, and Platje came close to scoring for Vernon.Terrific ball handling and ball distribution by Ellis, Funston, Bergam and Thompson impressed coaches and spectators alike. Freathy and Thomas controlled the Tolko backfield, and Cameron demonstrated her tenacity through excellent ball clearing.
Genge, Packwood, Siedmann, Durfield, and Vienneau provided valuable support to the team and pressure on the other squad.
Tolko United U14 girls are enthusiastically coached by Greg Routley and Niko Siedmann.