Strikers hold on in Spokane
Last weekend the U12 Sandpoint Strikers girls played in the River City Challenge Tournament that was hosted by Spokane FC. The Strikers went 2-1-1 during the tournament, with the only loss coming in the final against the Spokane Foxes.
The girls opened up the tournament with a win against the Scotties of Spokane 4-1 Saturday morning, then played to a 1-1 draw against the World Allstarz that afternoon. Sunday morning was do or die for the team as it needed to not only beat the FC Spokane team, but beat them 3-0 to advance to the final. The girls came out and played one of the best games their coach has seen. The Foxes won 3-0, after the game was scoreless at half.
The Strikers were led in scoring by Jenna Matier, who had six goals over the weekend and Riley Walkington, who had two. The defense was held together with the great play of Yeo Yarnell, Mya Darling and guest player Holly Kassa. Goalkeeper Madison Wyman kept her team in every game with some key saves, especially in the 3-0 win to put us in the final. The midfield provided the majority of the assists on the goals and played hard at both ends of the field. This is a great way to start the 2012 fall season and the team looks forward to another great tournament in Sandpoint at the Pend Oreille Cup, held Sept. 7-9.
n Strikers U8 boys
Sandpoint Strikers Academy boys made their debut at the River City Challenge this past weekend. For most of these seven and eight year-old boys, this was their very first tournament. They all played four solid games in two days. The two boys squads played hard, demonstrating great passing, solid defense and showing that they are very capable of playing great competitive soccer. Head coach Kyler Wolf congratulated each of them, stating that he was impressed with the way they never gave up and played tough to the end.
In the end, it was the U8 boys who placed second and each of them brought home finalist medals. In game one, the Strikers fell behind 3-0 before a furious rally in the 2nd half to tie the game. Gage Ramsey, Evan Dickinson and Weston Benefield scored the goals for the strikers. Cody Newhart stepped up his game big time in the 2nd half with some great saves and provided great communication for the boys.
In Game two the Strikers had numerous shots on goal but were unable to find the back of the net. Notably, Austin Hollar was all over the field with great defense and hustle. The goaltending was outstanding with Evan Dickinson and Cody Newhart sharing the duties. In Game three the Strikers rallied back from a deficit to win an exciting game. Maddox Kurtz was brilliant scoring a hat trick including the game winner in the late stages of the contest. Gage Ramsey scored the game tying goal just moments earlier. Evan Dickinson provided solid attacking defense in the back to help shut out the Sting in the 2nd half.
In the championship game the Strikers fell short 1–0, even though they played extremely tough. Weston Benefield was excellent attacking ball and teaming up with Maddox Kurtz for some nice runs. Stirling Roget and Austin Hollar anchored a strong defense to keep the Moses Lake Endeavor at bay. Cody Newhart made the save of the tournament with a sensational diving stop on a breakaway and was outstanding between the pipes all weekend long.
A Kick in the Grass is a coach-submitted column that runs every Thursday during the soccer season in the Daily Bee.