The Nelson Selects U13 Girls put hard work to the pitch during the Terry Walgren Memorial Tournament this past weekend.
The girls played up a division at the U14 level and were in tough in their first game Friday night as they faced a squad from Kootenay South (Castlegar/Trail/Rossland/Fruitvale). After a scoreless first half, Grace Dehnel scored from outside the 18 yard box with 10 minutes to play. Nelson held on for a 1-0 victory, their first of the season.
Saturday the club played Columbia Valley in a game that was dominated by the Nelson side which ended in a 4-0 score. Goal scorers were Ellee Atkinson, Sofia Arcuri, Simone Kirsten and Mattea Langevin.
Going into Sunday’s action against Kootenay East (Cranbrook) the girls were feeling confident with their 2-0 record. Ruby Creighton scored in the first half to give the Selects a 1-0 lead and Arcuri scored her second of the tournament to cap off a 2-0 victory.
With a 3-0 record, the team earned a berth in the gold medal game versus the older Kootenay South.
The final game saw the visitors come out strong and push the younger Nelson side to their limits. At half time Kootenay South had a 1-0 lead on the locals.
Midway through the second half Nelson came on strong and Atkinson scored on a free kick to tie the game. With no further goals it was onto extra time.
In the non-sudden death overtime, the Nelson girls kicked their game up an extra notch and dominated with two goals in the extra frames. With her third goal of the weekend, Arcuri found the net once again and Shaen Panko-Dool notched her first.
“It was a great weekend for the girls,” said U13 coach Pete Quinn. “I couldn’t have been prouder of how they performed. It was a total team effort.
“It’s a great boost of confidence for the team heading into provincial playdowns in Cranbrook next week.”
The U13s have the weekend off and will then match up against rivals from around the Kootenays for a shot at the Provincial B Cup in July.