L-R: Avery Powell, Kenzi Whitfield, Remi Preston, Skyla Plante, Rose Sowa, Ellowyn Speakman, Sadie Hug, and Grace Fisher. These girls competed as the AYSO 10U Girl Stars in a tournament in Huntington Beach. Photo submitted by Skylar Hug.
By Ray Conner
Filling up their day with soccer, Kern Valley’s AYSO Region 294 10u Girls Stars played in a tournament in Huntington Beach.
With the cool ocean breeze in the distance, the Girl Stars kicked off the action in the Surf and Turf Tournament. They would get the chance to play three games over the weekend. The local squad was able to compete with the more powerhouse teams as each match on the pitch was not decided until the very end. The heart this team showed was in the pursuit of the game. They never quit and played until the final whistle was blown in each match.
In game one, the Girl Stars faced off with a team from Culver City. While the final score was in their opponents’ favor, the 4-2 score does not indicate the level of effort displayed by this team. Despite trailing, late in the game, the Girl Stars were able to close the gap with a pair of goals. Ellowyn Speakman slid one into the net for her first career goal to start the potential comeback. This was followed within a minute by another shot into the net by Skyla Plante. Unfortunately, this is where the rally ended and they suffered the loss in the first match. Girl Stars coach Skylar Hug commented, “There was no quit in sight, but unfortunately, we ran out of time while they had the opposing team on their heels”
Game two of the tournament, was later in the day. This squad of young ladies took on a powerhouse in Chino Hills. The Girl Stars were under the gun as they were limited to just one goal in the match. Plante placed the lone goal in the back of the netting to put the Girl Stars on the board.
The goalie for the Girl Stars faced an onslaught of shot attempts by Chino Hills. She was credited with over 20 saves. While the final score was not reported, it did not faze this team in playing to the end. Coach Hug said, “This was a tough match-up for the Girl Stars. Both teams played their hearts out, we just fell short of victory.”
In their final match of the tournament the next morning, the Girl Stars went up against the San Pedro Pirates. The was a nail-biter as the two teams were determined to collect a victory. The see-saw contest went back and forth over the pitch. Both teams were focused on getting the ball on the net. The shots on goal for the Girl Stars reached a high number. Sadie Hug and Remi Preston were able to pepper the opposing goalie with plenty of shots attempts. When the final whistle was blown, the scoreboard showed the Pirates having the edge with the 2-1 win.
Plante recorded the only goal of the match. This made it a hat trick of goals for the weekend. She scored three times in three matches. The defensive leaders of the game for the Girl Stars were Kenzie Whitfield, Grace Fisher, and Avery Powell.
Coach Hug finished off by saying, “Games were played, memories made, and friendships grew stronger through this experience. This would be the last tournament as 10U All-Stars for these girls. A special thank you to Sierra Gateway for their generous donation of a Yeti cooler. This enabled the girls to raffle off tickets to raise money for their tournament. Thank you to everyone who donated.”
Despite coming out on the wrong side of the scores this team of 10U soccer players did well in competition and representing the Kern River Valley.
