Down but not out.
That was the motto of the Lake City Falcons senior girls soccer team this past weekend.
A small squad of 11 girls traveled to Quesnel to participate in the AAA soccer zones.
The girls first matchup was against a favorite rival, Prince George Secondary School.
Despite not having any subs and playing short for portions of the game the girls were triumphant with a score of 3-1.
After a quick break the team kicked off against Fort St. John, who had a large and rested roster.
Quick passing and frequent subs resulted in the Falcons tiring throughout the game and losing 5-2.
Goalkeeper Melissa Rispin had a fantastic game, challenging the Fort St. John forwards and being very aggressive, resulting in multiple bumps and bruises.
Saturday morning LCSS played the host school Correlieu and, for the only time in the tournament, were shutout with a soccer of 5-0.
In the last round robin game, the girls squared off against Dawson Creek.
Although still playing short the girls had excellent communication, great passes and tons of pressure to the net.
Numerous players found the back of the net and the girls were triumphant winning 6-1.
At the conclusion of the round robin three teams were tied for second with a 2-2 record, however, due to allowing one more goal than the other teams, LCSS was ranked 4th heading into the playoffs.
On Sunday the girls again met the host school in the semis, and despite holding their opponents scoreless for the majority of the first half, fatigue took over in the second with the final score being 6-1.
The loss put LCSS up against PGSS for the bronze medal Sunday afternoon.
After losing players to injury and other sport commitments the girls knew they only had nine players, two less than a full team.
The Falcons fought hard and were first to the ball, won almost every challenge and put lots of pressure to the net.
A very controversial call in the box gave PGSS a penalty kick and their only goal of the game.
LCSS rallied and scored in the second half to send the game into two seven and a half minute overtimes.
The Falcons had half a dozen shots in the first overtime but were unable to find the back of the net and in the last two minutes of overtime PGSS managed to sneak the ball past the LCSS defenders off of a corner kick.
Coach Caitlin Sabatino said despite falling just short of the bronze medal, she couldn’t have asked for a better effort.
“I could not be more proud of the girls this weekend,” Sabatino said.
“Playing short for six games of soccer is a victory in itself. The girls remained positive and sportsmanlike the whole weekend and really bonded as a team. We are only losing one grade 12 from the zone roster so hopefully we can get them back next year.”
