On Sunday 28 June, the U15 Girls made their debut in this year’s Montesilvano Futsal Cup.

After an enjoyable day on Saturday, which included plenty of time on the beach and the fantastic evening processions through the streets, the girls turned their attention to the serious business of competition.

With a squad ranging in age from 12 to 16, the challenge was always going to be significant. Playing in 35°C heat, on courts much larger than they were accustomed to, and facing overseas opposition for the first time, the team knew they would be tested from the very start.

All matches were played over two 20-minute halves with a continuous clock, with each team permitted one one-minute timeout per game.

First Half:

Half Time: Bootham 0 – 0 Adriatica Futsal (Italy)

Second Half:

Half Time: Bootham 1 – 0 Adriatica Futsal (Italy)

Player of the Match:

It was impossible to single out just one player today, as every member of the squad worked incredibly hard from start to finish. At times, the girls rode their luck, but when the opportunity to win the game arrived, they took it. Ultimately, matches are won by teams, not individuals, and this was a true team performance with every player making an important contribution. What a team!

League Table:

Coaches Comments:

Today was a day for the team, not for individuals, and the team won this game.

Before the match, we spoke about the uncertainty of what lay ahead. The players didn’t know what to expect and there were plenty of questions to answer. Could they adapt to the conditions? Could they cope with the heat, the larger courts and the challenge of facing unfamiliar foreign opposition?

The answer was a huge and resounding YES.

Let’s not take anything away from our opponents. They were an excellent futsal team who played the game the right way. They moved the ball well, passed intelligently and created plenty of chances. However, today they came up against a ‘wall’ called Scarlett. She was determined not to be beaten and, whenever we came under pressure, she was there to keep us in the game.

As the match went on and the team grew in confidence, we started to find our feet. We began to play the futsal we know we are capable of playing and, in turn, we started to cause our opponents problems.

I always say that to win games you need a little bit of luck, and today their excellent goalkeeper made a rare mistake. However, let’s take nothing away from Mollie’s strike. She still had to take the opportunity, and she did exactly that.

I genuinely felt we deserved the victory. We battled, we ran, we tackled and we worked our socks off to get the result. What pleased me most was seeing a team rather than a group of individuals. It wasn’t a handful of players trying to do everything themselves; it was a squad that trusted one another and played together as if they had been doing so for years rather than just a few weeks.

There is still a very long way to go this week, but what a start. What a performance. Most importantly, what a memory for these girls to treasure forever.

Coach Chris

Images curtesy of Suzy: