The Thunder rolled but there was no lightning this past weekend as the CUSC U13 girls ran into the impenetrable U14 Powell River girl’s select team. Having feasted on larger and more experienced teams in recent weeks the Thunder had little to chew on last Sunday in Powell River.
A few moments inside the opposing half were enjoyed but the hosts were all on the Thunder back line as Brynne, Cam, Danielle, Justine, Jayden, Natalie and Rachel kept their opposition from scoring more than the six goals they did tally. With no away calls from the referee the PR girls were free to use their size and power at will keeping the Thunder off balance while trying desperate passes in a crowded midfield, where personal space was at a premium.
After a slow start, the Thunder were quickly bottled up while the Powell River midfield kept the cork firmly in place by winning virtually every aerial ball on the day. Unable to push past centre the intimidated Thunder midfield could do little other than reach midfield and try some probing runs up the line. The Thunder defenders however had a massive game turning them back time and time again, keeping the chances wide and deep.
Keepers Cam and Danielle stopped everything in their reach, including a penalty shot rocket from 11 metres that Cam found with her left hand and a wincing stretch of a toe save from Danielle. Both highly athletic keepers let in only three goals per half in what could have been a deluge.
The Thunder defence was a good match for the forwards but not the PR midfield whose experience and skill supplied their strikers with a smorgasbord of chances. Goals came from a few nice passing plays, but mostly the Powell River midfielders tossed balls into the blender to see what could be made of it. Their tight marking all over the pitch wouldn’t allow defenders time to punt the ball into Row, or in this case the ocean, and their persistence proved unsolvable.
The fans meanwhile, perched on a terrace somewhat isolated from the distant caged all-weather pitch, enjoyed what is arguably the best ocean view from any soccer field on this planet. At games end the visiting team was in good spirits and seemed oblivious of the clean sheet on their half of the score card, with the home team as gracious as can be. The Thunder girls then headed off for lunch and fun at the pool, lessons learned and taken, with an admirable perspective. It's a wonderful game.
– Thunder soccer