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U18 Girls Hornets Defend Unionville Tournament Title
Posted by () on Sep 14 2009
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The Markham Under-18 Girls House League All-Star team successfully defended its title in the Unionville-Milliken 2009 All-Star/Select Tournament on the August 22-23 week-end, finishing on top of the four-team U18 division after three round robin games on Saturday before clinching the championship in a hard-fought final on Sunday.

The Hornets came out like gang-busters in their early Saturday morning match against Leaside, dominating the game from the opening whistle en route to a resounding 6-0 victory that would play an important role in the final round robin standings. Valerie Belanger, making her season debut with the team, immediately made an impact by scoring 18 seconds after the opening kick-off and adding a second goal two minutes later. She completed the hat trick in the second half, while Michelle Addorisio, also playing in her first tournament of the season, added two goals. Victoria Christofilos rounded out the scoring, while Michelle Kwok recorded the shut-out.

The next two games were much more competitive, with both ending in scoreless ties, the first against Erin Mills and the next one against Scarborough United. In both games, both teams had chances, but outstanding goalkeeping and strong defensive play kept the score sheets clean. Markham had a scare in the Erin Mills game, as goalkeeper Kwok was knocked out of the game after suffering a hip injury in a collision with an opponent a few minutes before half time, but Addorisio ably stepped in to preserve the shut-out streak. Fortunately, after some emergency acupuncture and massage treatment, Kwok returned to play in the last round robin game to record the team’s third consecutive shut-out of the day. This game ended in a torrential downpour, with a funnel cloud being sighted to the south of the fields.

The round robin ended with a three-way tie for first place, as Markham, Erin Mills, and Scarborough all had identical records of one win and two ties. Goal differential was the tie-breaker, so the Hornets took first place and moved on to the championship final against Scarborough, while Erin Mills was knocked out of the tournament.

As expected, the championship game was very exciting and competitive. Addorisio opened the scoring 6 minutes into the game when she intercepted the Scarborough keeper’s clearing attempt and lobbed a high kick over the goalie into the net. Scarborough kept pressing for the equalizer and was rewarded 5 minutes into the second half when one of their players fired a rocket from the edge of the 18-yard box that Kwok had no chance on. Instead of hanging their heads after allowing their first goal of the tournament, the Hornets roared back and regained the lead within two minutes with Addorisio’s second goal of the game and fourth of the tournament. The play became intense in the final 15 minutes, with three Markham players forced out of the game with injuries as Scarborough turned up the aggressiveness a notch, but the Hornets held their ground and took home the championship trophies for the second year in a row. Addorisio was named the Markham MVP for the game, but this was truly an excellent all-round team effort.

Also contributing to the team's victory were: Natalie Cramarossa, Rachel Tam, Meera Haji, Justine Cleworth, Frederique Rajotte, Kaileigh Macrae, Oriana Paoletti, Alyssa Paoletti, Alana Gottschalk, Natalie Mangos, Victoria Hood, and Jill Kooymans. The team was coached by Jerry Kooymans, Carmen Addorisio, and Allister Macrae and is sponsored by CIBC.

Last changed: Sep 14 2009 at 12:35 PM