DAYTON, OH - Last weekend the U15 girls of the Dayton Dutch Lions played their first tournament. In Hilliard, Ohio, they played the Early Bird Invitational. Due to the teams that signed up, the girls had to play in a higher age group, U16 instead of U15. This did not matter the Lady Lions, since they won the tournament with a 3-0-1 record!
On Saturday morning the first game was played against Pride SC U16 Girls. In a very competitive game the Dutch Lions were able to adjust their game to the field conditions. After a rocky start they got better in their game. This resulted in a 1-0 win over a physically stronger team. Libbey was able to score after an assist of Katie S.
The second game on Saturday was a game that will be remembered for a long time. Again against a U16 team the Dutch Lions completely dominated, but were not able to win. After having about 10 opportunities to score, the first goal of the game was scored in the Dutch Lions goal. One of our own players was very unlucky when she tried to clear the ball and scored an own goal. After getting behind the Lady Lions stepped it up and might have been able to score 20 goals, but they did not. Numerous shots, more than 20 corner kicks, it all didn’t seem to work out. 8 minutes before the end of the game Libbey was able to score the equalizer, but that was all the Dutch Lions were able to get.
After 2 games and with 4 points the assignment for Sundays game was actually very clear. Winning the game would mean that the Dutch Lions would play the final. Not the best game of the tournament, but the Dutch Lions beat First Capital with 2-0 after goals from Rachel and Ellie.
The final started a little later than planned due to overtime on other fields, which meant there were no referee’s available. The final would be a good moment to see how the Dutch Lions U15 Girls would handle the pressure. They played against Classic Eagles, who also are a U15 team. They do play in a higher Buckeye Division than the Dutch Lions. Right from the start the Dutch Lions showed their intentions and had more possession. Rachel was able to score the 1-0 from a free kick. Just before halftime Classic Eagles was also able to score a free kick, which resulted in a 1-1 halftime score.
In the second half the Dutch Lions girls stepped it up against the higher division team. Libbey was able to score after a very smart run and a good pass from midfield. The Dutch Lions hardly gave the Classic Eagles any opportunities to get back in the game. When the referee ended the game the 2-1 was still on the scoreboard. The Dutch Lions U15 Girls won the tournament with a 3-0-1 record, undefeated. With 3 goals Libbey was the leading scorer of the tournament for the Dutch Lions. Sarah only got scored on once by an other team, which is a great achievement as well!
Special thanks to Christina who was not able to play due to her injury, but was the whole tournament on the sideline to support the team!