Shuswap Stealth U18 Girls Select Soccer team show that time and hard work pays off.
The team is currently in first place in their Okanagan League. This group of players has been together since Grade 6, and have benefitted from the consistent coaching of Ian McLellan and Heidi Berry during that time.
Sunday’s game against Vernon was a well-played match with a 2-0 win for Shuswap. The team dominated play and had a number of good scoring opportunities.
Philene Berry was solid in goal. Goals were scored by Steph Kelly and Steph Jetty. A majority of the players are also on the Senior Girls Soccer team at Salmon Arm Secondary.
Women’s competitive
After the previous week’s unfortunate Game 3 cancellation, TED United played in Vernon Tuesday, May 10 against the AF Blazers.
TED played a good possession game during the first half but the Blazers opened the scoring early. However, TED was sure to respond shortly after off a throw-in from Natalie Smith to a header assist from Jenna Cline, on to Kyla Sherman to tie the game at 1-1.
Solid goaltending by Alyssa Wilbur kept TED in the game, with the score remaining at 1-1. TED has their first BYE next week, followed by another home game on May 24 where they will get another chance to defeat Vernon’s AF Blazers.
Setter’s ignite
The team started off the season on a bit of a shaky foot on account of field closures in Salmon Arm, with most other teams in the league having already played one game. Setter’s first game against the Controllers on April 26 ended in a 2-2 tie with goals scored by Shannon Hecker and Cathy Bartsch. In game two, the Monashees put up a fierce fight, but between the sharp goaltending by Cathy Bartsch and two goals locked away by Bonnie Kelly, the game ended in a 2-0 victory for the Salmon Arm team.
This week, in game three, the team of “over 30” players really got their feet under them and earned themselves a 7-1 blowout against Okanagan Impact, the only team the Setters lost to last season. Despite having a couple of sharp shooters and fit players, ‘Impact’ was no match for Setters, who focussed on playing a controlled, but aggressive passing game.
The win was a real team effort. Of notable mention was Val Nakazawa’s near shutout in net, and goals scored by Cathy Bartsch (3), Carol Rogers (2) and Shannon Hecker (2).
