Background
During regular season play, the developmental "E" team competed in the U-10 6v6 PDL age bracket. The girls have been very successful in PDL, finishing 2nd in the fall season, and enjoying continued success in the abbreviated spring season. To compete in Challenge Cup, the team needed to grow its small roster of 9 and include U11 players to meet state requirements. With help from Greg Wyrick in Crossfire Select, coach Ryan added five players from Greg’s U11 team to meet the state’s roster requirements.
Sela, Natalie, Amy, Megan, Jensen - Welcome Aboard!
Very talented players in their own right, the Select players added new opportunities to the "little team that could". After all, the "E" team has some of the youngest players in Crossfire, with two 8-year-olds, and two 9-year-olds. Nonetheless, all of the U10 players have been instrumental to the team’s tournament success, scoring game-winning goals, penalty kicks, and shutting down the bigger, older opponents on the pitch. And with their new Select friends, they’ve found more endurance, speed, and experience in their ranks.
Tournament Game Summaries
Game 1: Northwest Nationals G98 Blue (0-3:L)
For 9 of the 14 rostered players, this game was their first 9v9 match on a larger field - EVER. Regardless, the "little team that could" held the NWN "B" team scoreless for the entire first half, and did a great job of possession during the first 30-minutes. Though coming out strong in the second half, the tide began to turn with two unlucky goals, and then a great shot from outside the 18. The bigger field format had taken its toll, as the girls didn’t have the reserves to come back from behind. Regardless, it was a great first outing as a complete 9v9 team against a very worthy opponent.
Game 2: CB United Navy 98 (Wallace) (6-0:W)
Going into the second game of the first tournament weekend, the girls were recovered, and eager to take on the next match. But CB United was a big, capable team - they had just beaten the G98Dev-Reynolds "B" team 3-2, and all of our reconnaissance indicated a tough match.
The "little team that could" game out swinging!! Two goals were scored within the first 6-minutes, followed-up with a total of four more. As a testament to the combined strength of the roster, three goals were scored by our U10 Priya, and three were scored by our U11 Natalie! Both girls were fed assists by a mix of U10 and U11 players from the mid-field, and Sela was the iron-curtain in goal. The team could not imagine a better end to the first tournament weekend!
Game 3: Crossfire Premier G98Dev-Reynolds "B" Team (1-0:W)
While the victory over CB United was a confidence booster, our brethren, the Crossfire Dev "B" team, was a different challenge. While not as "big" as CB United, the "B" team was strong in their possession game, and had lots of talent on the roster. Combined with the somewhat large 94-yard field, the "little team that could" faced a big hill to climb.
As soon as the whistle blew, the battle raged for the mid-field possession, and both teams capably diffused break-away attempts. The "E" team managed a single unanswered goal during the first half, and our goalkeeper Sela held-off a late-game onslaught that included several lucky breaks for the "little team that could". In the end, the team celebrated its second consecutive shut-out of the tournament, and a second place bracket finish - on to the GOLD eliminations!!
Game 4: WSA Reliance (3-2:W)
Ok - eliminations here we come! The team headed down to Washougal, WA, to take on the first-place finisher in the "H" bracket. They had enjoyed two shut-outs in their bracket play, including one against our own Crossfire Premier U11 G98 D team. To offset that pressure, our team was looking forward to its first overnight road-trip of the year. Everyone enjoyed hanging-out at the pool, and the breakfast "chalk-talk" with coach Ryan before the big match.
And it was a BIG match - a match that went into overtime, and then penalty kicks to ultimately take the win. The little team that could had to play a very physical game against large opponents. Regular play ended with a 1-1 tie. WSA scored an early goal in over-time, but then Crossfire kicked it into over-drive, with LF Annabelle (8-years old) scoring on a well-placed, slanting pass from CM Sofia (9-years old) to the goal’s far-side.
After overtime, it came down to penalty kicks, and the leaping super-frog Sela made three saves. Sofia, Natalie, and Amy put the team over the top for the match in the shoot-out.
Game 5: FC Alliance G98 White
In the quarter-final round, the team faced a worthy adversary - FC Alliance G98 White finished 1st in their PDL spring season, and the team is coached by the very capable and competitive Amy Lombard. The team is also notorious for their speed and fitness - two attributes that could be worrisome after a long, hard match against WSA Reliance on the previous day. It also didn’t help that we were missing one of our key U10 defenders, Mackenzie.
The two teams were well-matched, with a scoreless first half. FCA was doing a good job of keeping the play at Crossfire’s end of the field but, luckily, they were not converting. FCA struck first in the second half, but the goal was quickly answered. Then, with about 2-minutes remaining, Natalie launched a well-placed corner-kick, and Priya touched it in. Once again, U10 and U11 unite for victory!!
Starfire - here we come!!
The team headed to the Starfire soccer complex on April 10/11 to compete in the semi-final and final round of the State Challenge Cup. Each game has built more confidence and experience, as many of the players on the "little team that could" go through their first State cup tournament. In a hard-fought match with the River City Foxes, the team’s winning streak was halted with a 1-4 loss to a very worthy opponent. Nonetheless, each player on the team showcased a year’s worth of excellent coaching, hard work, and a great team dynamic. A third-place finish in Challenge Cup capped a “dream year” for a young development team, who started the year as a small band of 3, and ended the year as a fearless army of 14.
Many thanks go out to the parents, who enthusiastically support their players, coach Terry Ryan, and the club.
Go Crossfire!
