Cape Coral, October 10th- Last weekend our Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC played the Bazooka Classic 2017 in Kissimmee. U11B, U12G, U14G, U14B, and U16G played on Saturday and Sunday several games. With four teams in the finals, it was a successful weekend for our Youth Academy.
U11B, 2nd place. Three wins and one loss
Our U11B had a good result last weekend. They won both their games on Saturday and qualified them selfs for the semi-final Sunday morning. This was an exciting game, which ended with penalty kicks. Our goalkeeper Mason became a hero because he saved two of the five penalty kicks, so we could advance to the final. In the final, we faced a strong opponent that also won all their games. It became a thriller, because the score was 1-1 after the second half of the game. We went to two times five minutes overtime and unfortunately, we lost 10 seconds before the second overtime ended. A well deserved second place this weekend.
U12G, 1st place. Four victories in a row.
The U12G surprised everybody with their results this tournament. They won all their games by scoring a lot of goals, but they also didn't allow a single goal. Our first game of this tournament was the hardest one and with a great shot from Marlee, we were able to win this game with a minimum score. The second game was the best game this weekend with a 7-0 win! With two great goals from Mckenna and a hattrick from Sophia, we showed everybody that we were ready for the games on Sunday. The Sunday morning game was a good team performance with a 3-0 victory, so we could prepare us for the final. In this final we played against the team we beat during our first game. It was an exciting game for our girls, because Marlee became matchwinner with two goals!
This weekend our girls showed everybody that we can play a solid possession game with some good dribbles and passing. We hope that they keep up the good work and make a lot more progress than they did so far. A great performance of our U12 girls!
U14 Boys, 4th place. One tie and two losses.
The U14 Boys started early on Saturday. The first half of the game was slow from both sides. In the second half, the boys were trying to find the way to the goal. The second game of the day was better with some good passing and opportunities to shoot on goal. Unfortunately, they got some goals against, but they showed improvement. The improvement paid off in the Sunday game. With a great solo down the line, Andres scored the first goal of the game. While the U14 Boys were better in that game, the final score was 1-1. They learned a lot this tournament and showed a lot of improvement.
U14 Girls, second place. One win, one tie, and two losses.
The U14 girls also started the tournament early on Saturday. In the beginning of the game, they had good positioning and good team play. The opponent scored an unlucky goal in the first half but in the second half Vanessa a great goal from outside the box. Unfortunately, they lost the game, but the first half of the second game that day was very good. After the game started 45 min later, Nevaeh scored a quick goal. Near the end of the first half there was a lot of rain and lightning. Because of the weather, they canceled the second half. The U14 Girls played against the same opponent on Sunday morning, and again they were the better team on the field. After a nice cross from the left side Kaitlin scored the openings goal. In the second half Madison made sure the team went to the final by making the second goal of the game. In the final they had some opportunities but they came second. The team worked really hard and deserved the second place in the group!
U16G, 1st place. Two wins and a tie.
Our U16G came in this tournament as the lowest ranked team (68 against 64 and 57), but showed from the first game that they only came for one thing: 1st place. After several good shots and great defense, the first game ended in 0-0. Winning in the afternoon meant no semi-final but straight to the finals. By two goals of Shelby, great defense of the team and exceptional goalkeeper work of Olivia our U16G won with 2-1 and advanced to the final. In the final they played not as good as on Saturday and came 1-0 behind. By switching to fighting mode and better position game the girls made quick the 1-1. An exciting last quarter came and Allyson got the ball 20 yards away from the goal. She passed her opponent and released an amazing shot. 2-1 for our girls. A thrilling last 10 minutes followed, but our girls succeed in keeping their lead. Our U16G are the new Bazooka Classic 2017 Champions.
