The winter break was anything but that for the Weston Fury Girl’s U 18 Premier. The team used the days before and immediately after Christmas to train and prepare to compete in the Orange Classic (OC). They had just concluded the 2007 half of their High School Seasons and immediately picked up their commitment to the Fury.
In the OC, the Fury comfortably won their group by scores of 1-0, 5-3, 3-0 to advance in to the semi’s where they dispatched the opposition in dominating fashion but were only able to finish two of their many opportunities (2-0). The Final proved to be more of the same as the OC U 19 green category was won in a PK shootout. The game should have seen the Fury come away with a decisive result but a combination of poor finishing, bad luck and quality keeping kept the score line close. In the end, the Fury was the better team in every game and deserved to be the Champions.
The team was able to shut out the opponents in 4 out of the 5 games and this is why they were able to come out winners. An effective combination of defense and goalkeeping kept the opponents off balance and unable to assert any real pressure on the games. In the one instance where the Fury had some defensive lapses, the team responded with a team high 5 goals to show that they can win tight, low scoring matches or a good old fashioned shoot out.
The most satisfying aspect of the whole tournament was not winning, it was the manner in which it was done. The Fury, at times, played some of the most attractive soccer seen at the entire tournament. The talk was all positive and many college coaches were present to inquire about the Fury Players coming to their respective programs. The rhythm exhibited, at times, was the highlight of the whole tournament and the team will continue to become more consistent in their display of beautiful flowing soccer.
With the OC over, it was right back to High School for most of the girl’s to compete in tournaments scheduled for Jan. 2 and on. For two Fury Players, there were bigger and better things ahead. Samantha Wright and Olivia Elias were off to California to compete in the U 19 Nat’l Camp. Both players represented Region III in the four team competition in front of the Nat’l Staff coaches. The girls are aiming to impress the coaches in the three game competition in hopes of being selected to the next gathering on the National Team in their respective age groups.
No rest for the weary would be the slogan of the break, but all things considered, the team would take it every time.
