Cape Coral, September 4th 2016 - Several of the Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC Youth Academy teams played their first tournament of the 2016-2017 season. The U8, U9 Elite and Development and U10 Elite teams travelled just across the bridge to Fort Myers to participate in the "Gateway at the Labor Day Tournament". The teams ended respectively 3rd, 2nd, 4th and 3rd.
The first day of the tournament was all about qualifying for the finals of the next day. The U8 played there first tournament ever. It was great to see the play of the young Lions who fought for every yard of the field. Unfortunately, the other teams were a bit older than the young Lions. On Sunday they played the semi-final to get a spot in the final. Unfortunately, they lost the game and ended 3rd in the tournament.
The U9 Elite had a strong group with Lehigh and Elite Soccer Academy. But at the end of the day they won all their games with a phenomenal performance and great team work. The team worked together and played like they already played together for many years. On Sunday they had to play the semi-final and had to play again against the Elite Soccer Academy. With a great performance they won the game and qualified for the final against Cape Coral Arsenal. The derby vs Cape Coral Arsenal was a really good game from both teams. They both showed what they got and at the end of the game Cape Coral Arsenal was just a little better. The U9 Elite can be proud of their performance.
The U9 Development was also in a strong group with Cape Coral Arsenal and Lehigh. They played some great games, but were unlucky at times. So they played on Sunday against the Elite Soccer Academy for the 3rd and 4th place. After a good performance of the team the Elite Soccer Academy was just a bit stronger.
The U10B Elite started the day with a game against Lehigh and ended with a game against Weston FC. Both games ended in a close defeat, but coach Daan was happy with the play and the positioning of the players. Because of that, the team played on Sunday for the 3rd place against Elite Soccer Academy from Gateway. They won with 11-1 and ended in 3rd place!
The Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC teams can be proud of themselves with their performance. A great start of the new season with a lot of possibilities to work on for the future.
