November 5th, 2023 will be a day that Coach Nadine Powell and her 2007 Girls will cherish for years to come.
It’s been quite the season for our U16 Girls IModel team. Starting all the way back in May, the girls were looking to jump from being placed in C2 last year to C1 for the summer. After several games, the team achieved their first goal and started competing in C1 games in August. Top teams like Bradford and Whitby proved to be a challenge, but the biggest test was during the last league game of the season against SC Toronto.
Sitting in third place, NT needed a win or tie against SC (who had previously beaten them 5-0) to claim second place and a seat in the IModel C1 Final. The game plan was to play in a high press and put heavy pressure on SC Toronto’s backline early. With two goals less than 5 minutes apart in the first half (a birthday goal from Dana Copeland and another from top fullback Alyssa Freer), NT was looking sharp and hungry for more going into the second half. SC started to test us a bit more and put a goal in the back of the net but it still wasn’t enough to take control of the game. The U16 Girls had done it, they had accomplished their next goal – they made it to the IModel C1 Final.
A week later, the NT vs. SC rematch was held at the Ontario Soccer Centre. The pressure was on – NT were looking to carry out one last win against their rivals and SC was looking to take the title in their almost perfect season. Friends, family, and coaches were all in attendance to cheer on Coach of the Year and Competitive Manager, Nadine Powell, and her team.
The first half was a battle, but NT kept their composure and the halftime whistle blew with a scoreless game at their feet. After a first half shutout and a job well done, Ellie Sventzouris was replaced by Effie Iriotakis in net. The sun was starting to set and the girls were not only battling the cold, but injuries and sore muscles too.
Nerves were running high and SC came out swinging. An early shot going to the top left corner almost put us on the backfoot but Effie came out of nowhere and ended up having the save of the season to keep us in the game. From there, the ball was rolling and we gained momentum – our time was coming. In the 70th minute, Mia Tamburri struck the ball from the top of the box with her left foot to put NT in the lead. As we all know, 1-0 is a hard lead to have, especially with 20 minutes left in the game. Those 20 minutes felt like a lifetime. After a full team effort with everyone leaving their hearts on the field, the ref blew the final whistle and the ‘07 Girls were IModel C1 Champions.
Congratulations to Coach Nadine and her group of incredible players!
