THUNDER BAY – Lakehead Express Soccer Club (LEX) U18 Girls fought off tough competition this weekend to claim gold at the 2010 Kanata Invitational Showcase Soccer Tournament. It was the fifth consecutive year Lakehead Express sent a senior girls team to the tournament. The girls finished the tournament with a record of five wins, one tie, and zero losses. Three games of the round robin took place on Saturday, November 27th, with the last round robin game, semi-finals and finals taking place on Sunday, November 28th, 2010.
A four game round robin format saw the LEX girls face the Markham Lightning in their first match of the tournament. The Lightning, who were runners up in both the 2010 Ontario Indoor and Outdoor Cup’s, were no match for the Thunder Bay side, with LEX cruising a 5-0 win. A 10-2 win over the Oshawa Turul, 5-5 tie against the Richmond Hill Raiders, and 2-1 defeat of the St. Anthony Stars, had LEX at the top of their group going into the semi-final round.
In the semi-finals LEX faced the Cumberland Cobra’s, winning the game by a score of 3-2. Bryanne Roberts, Haleigh Robertson and Olivia Czipf were the goal scorers, securing their team’s birth in the finals. The finals were a rematch between LEX and the Richmond Hill Raiders. The game was the opposite of its early round robin match-up with LEX dominating the game, finishing with 4-0 win. Jessica Mithrush with three goals and Amber Carli with a single sealed the team’s finals win.
The girls team overall team play is what lead them to the championship, but along the way received outstanding individual performances. Jessica Mithrush finished the tournament with thirteen total goals, and 14 year old Emily Albert, who was picked up for the tournament, made several timely saves.
The tournament provides a forum for invited teams to showcase players to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) academic institutions. Scouting and Recruitment Coach, Pepe Garieri stated that each player on the team impressed the university scouts and coaches that attended the tournament, with several players to be contacted by schools in the near future.
Box Score
Game 1: Amber Carli (10 min), Jess Mithrush (13, 38 min) Haleigh Robertson (26 min) Bryanne (27 min)
Game 2: Amber Carli (8, 42) Jess (9, 10, 16, 39), Olivia (21), Haleigh Robertson (24) Megan Graca (35, 37)
Game 3: Jess Mithrush (8, 14, 20), Alyssa Johnston (10), Haleigh Robertson (50)
Game 4: Alyssa Johnston (18), Jess (38)
Semi Finals: Bryanne Roberts (11), Haleigh Robertson (15, 25), Olivia Czipf (41)
Finals: Jessica Mithrush (16, 21, 49), Amber Carli (16)