Tornados Find Victories, Trophies at Columbus Day Tournament!
Tornados Find Victories, Trophies at Columbus Day Tournament!
The Aston U13G Tornados were in Deptford, N.J. for their annual Soccer Fall Fest and a gorgeous weekend for soccer! In two prior tournaments this year, the Tornados earned a second place finish and a first place finish, so they were looking to once again come away with some hardware!
First up for the Tornados were the Cobras from Millville, N.J. Although the Tornados were able to charm the Cobras, they were unable to whisk them off the pitch. The Tornado defense and keeper Tessa Mazzarella combined for a shutout, but so did the Cobras. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in a good, tight game.
Saturday’s second game pitted two Tornado teams — Aston and Audubon, N.J. Audubon began trash-talking immediately at the coin toss, which only seemed to spur Aston on as they were determined to show them who the mightier Tornados’ team was!
Aston had a few scoring opportunities in the first half, but Audubon kept them out of the net. Midfielder Madison Hengey got the scoring going in the second half with a beautiful shot from mid-way between the 18-yard line and the half line that threaded the space between the keeper’s up-stretched hands and the top crossbar. Right-winger Claire Howley continued with a sweet cross in front of the net to fellow left-winger Madison Skwirut, who pounded it in the back of the net. To put an exclamation point on the game, Hengey put up another shot from relatively the same spot as her first and celebrated with the same result! Keeper Kelsey Czibik and the defensive unit kept up their end of the bargain with their second shutout of the tourney!
Heading into Sunday’s game with the Rebels of Rose Tree, the Tornados knew that a tie would assure them of at least second place, but a win would put them on top! They also realized that a depleted bench meant everyone had to step up — play longer and commit few, if any, mistakes. To their credit, even on a warmer-than-usual day, the Tornados received high marks on both counts!
In typical fashion, the Rebels (who have played the Tornados about 50 times now) kept the Tornados out of the net the entire first half, despite the Tornados knocking on the door with a few nice scoring opportunities. Some heads-up play from Hengey in the second half drew the ire of the Rebels’ coaching staff and then led to a foul kick that went across the front of the Rebels’ net, where left-winger Natalie Novotni was waiting to pound it in! Keeper Mazzarella and the rest of the defense made that single goal count, putting up a third shutout!
The defensive line was perfect for the tournament, allowing NO goals. Way to go: Megan Bowen, Nicole DeStephano, Madelyn Iannucci, Devlin O’Connor, Maddie Perlingeiro and Lindsay Wigo! At the trophy ceremony, midfielder Makenna Hallager was named MVP for the weekend for her outstanding play!
(Editor’s Note: Mea culpa to Tessa Mazzarella, winger Madison Skwirut and midfielder Emily Simpson who were recognized for their outstanding contributions during the team’s earlier success at the Central Bucks Tournament!)
