Playing in their first indoor tournament in over 2 years the POB Cyclones rode a 2 win, 1 loss & 1 tie performance to a 3rd place finish in the 7 team bracket. Aside from a short stretch in the 3rd game in which the North Babylon Red Lightning was able to score twice, the Cyclone effort was flawless.
Diana was awesome in net, stunning the crowd with both spectacular and routine stops on the way to a 3 shut out day & a well deserved Goalkeeper of the Tournament honor.
This was a complete effort by the Cyclones.
Game 1 vs the North Babylon Blitz, a team that swept the Cyclones 3 years earlier in this same event was controlled by the Cyclones, but remained scoreless until the final tics of the clock when Kiera, who was outstanding all day, pounced on a rebound to give the girls the W.
Game 2 vs North Babylon White Lightning was eerily similar to the first game with one major exception, the score. With the familiar figure of #18 on the left side it was only going to be a matter of time before the goals started coming. Dana's cameo return for this event was highlighted by her 2 goals in this game. The victory was punctuated by a goal from Ariel whose persistence was rewarded leading the Cyclones to 3-0 victory.
Game 3 was a see-saw affair. After falling behind by 1 the Cyclones battled back to tie it on a gritty, never give up effort by Anna L, who was truly a force the entire tournament. The girls then took the lead on a shot that can only be described as "cracking" as Jessica "J-Lay" drilled a one time laser beam past a stunned keeper from the middle of the field. To their credit the White Lightning never quit and were able to pull off an upset with 2 goals late in the game.
The opponents for game 4 needed no introduction, they were the newest rival on the Cyclone radar, the NHP Cheshire Cats. The previous contests with the cats had resulted in a win, a tie & a loss for both teams in what have become physical battles unlike the Cyclones have been involved with before. Despite a thorough domination of the game the pesky cats kept the Cyclones off the board, resulting in a 0-0 tie.
For the Cyclones a 3rd place finish in a 7 team tournament was something to cheer about, the best indoor tournament finish in team history. Great teamwork, passing and a commitment to competing were all keys to the result.
As has been the case throughout the winter Ravid was the glue in the middle of the field, while Jordan & Deniz did whatever was needed to get the job done.
Congrats to all the girls, they played outstanding. Despite having to endure one of their coaches and his questionable decision making and the other coaches questionable dance moves.
Special thanks to Dana & Jessica for joining us for the event, we couldn't have won without you.
