Playing up an age group, the Kelowna United U12 Hot Shots turned in a gold medal effort at the Slurpee Cup soccer tournament in Kamloops.
The Hot Shots (Bigattini) went undefeated in four games over the May long weekend to capture the girls U13 Gold Division. KU opened with a 1-0 victory over Harbour City U13. Mykayla Zukowski scored the lone goal, while Ashtyn Clarke was named MVP. Abigail Gubbels gave a solid performance as keeper.
United then tied Whistler Sea to Sky U13 1-1. Early in the first half, Emery Medwedew took a shot to the far corner where Sofia De Pieri found the perfect position allowing her to tip it in the net. Whistler Sea to Sky Storm fought back with a goal resulting in a tie game. Rylee Gordon received MVP of the game.
KU then edged Terrace U13 Girls 1-0. Avery Keating exploded down the field and slammed one deep in the back of the net for the lone goal, securing Kelowna91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s spot in the gold medal game. Daisy Janes gave a solid performance on the wing earning MVP of the game.
In the final, the Hotshots shutout Williams Lake U13 2-0. In the first half, Mykayla Zukowski curved one directly toward the far corner of the net and bounced the ball off of one of her opponent91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s legs to make it 1-nil. In the second half, Zukowski added an insurance goal, securing the gold medal game for the Hot Shots and earning the MVP.
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ U13 girls
The KU Storm (Watson) had a strong weekend, posting a 3-1 record at the Slurpee Cup. The Storm defeated Surrey Pegasus FC , Richmond Thunder FC and Kamloops Orange, with their only loss coming to Sherwood Park Phoenix. KU finished second in A pool and third overall out of eight teams from BC and Alberta in the cross-over tournament.
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ U15 girls
Kelowna United (Greenhough) didn91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™t lose a game (2-0-2) in earning a silver medal at the Slurpee Cup.
United opened with a 2-0 win over the Edmonton Drillers. Kaley Krivoshein and Ashlyn Eisenkrein scored the goals, while Lindsay Goett was named Game MVP.
Kelowna then tied Red Deer 2-2. United fell behind 2-0 but rallied back in the second half on goals by Madison Dyke and Brianna Panagos. Ashlyn Eisenkrein was named Game MVP.
Next up, United shutout Comox 4-0 to secure a spot in the final. Kaley Krivoshein, with two, Sophia Millikin and Ashlyn Eisenkrein scored the goals. Sofia MacQuarrie was named Game MVP.
In the championship game, Kelowna tied McKenzie (Calgary) 2-2. After Calgary opened the scoring 24 minutes in, Lindsay Goett scored twice in a three-minute span in the second half to put Kelowna ahead. But with three minutes remaining, Calgary scored the equalizer as the game ended in a draw. Tayshja Clark was named Game MVP. Calgary won gold based on their overall record during the tournament, while KU girls took silver.
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ U11 boys
The KU boys (Skillerz) represented the club at the Slurpee Cup tournament and demonstrated great soccer skills. They have all been attending practices on regular basis and it showed. The boys endured the heat while maintaining the game plan.
