Defense shines as Falcons win gold
Fanshawe's indoor women's soccer team relied heavily on their defense, including their goalkeeper, in capturing the provincial gold medal.
The tournament, held in Vaughan between March 18-20, marked the teams' third of the year, and showed exactly how much the squad has grown as a team throughout the season.
A lot of the Falcons success can be traced directly back to the defensive core according to team captain, and tournament MVP, Emily Costello.
“We had two previous tournaments,” Costello, a third-year child and youth worker student, said. “We didn't do as well with them as we'd hoped. But with each of the tournaments we got better.
“We knew we weren't really an offensive team, but we made up for that by having one of the best defenses I've ever seen.”
And a key part in all the victories was the Falcon's goalkeeper Ashley Strocki, who allowed only two goals over five contests while logging four shutout games during that span.
“We played a tough George Brown team in our first game,” said the team's coach, Martin Painter. “We struggled early but improved throughout the game and had a good second half. Our next game was against a very talented Humber team. Many people had pegged Humber as the favourites to win the Championship. We played our best game versus Humber and ended up winning 4-2.
“This was a key win because it reinforced all the work we had been doing and gave the players an extra dose of confidence.”
As for Costello, though defense played a key role, she can't overshadow the rest of the team, because it all really came down gelling at the right moment.
“We all just stepped up at the right time, and we won, so we reached our goal.”
For Kristina Melhuish, the team's veteran striker, the team was not only expecting to win the provincial title, but were hoping they'd get a chance to play the Humber squad.
“Honestly, we had a really weird feeling that we were going to win,” Melhuish, who has spent parts of four seasons playing with both the indoor and outdoor soccer teams, explained. “We didn't want to go in there too cocky just in case, but we did go in there confident and did what we wanted to do.”
And on top of a solid defense she thinks the team's biggest strength was that they were more than just teammates, they were friends.
“Our team is really close,” Melhuish continued. “Even small things like going out for dinner, it helps build on the field as well if we have those relationships with one another.
“Overall, it was a great experience and the girls played outstanding,” Painter stressed. “For some veterans, it was a great way to end their Collegiate playing careers. Not only did we win, but I think we won with style and class.”
In addition to Costello's MVP award, Jenn Sheehan and Melhuish were both named to the tournament all-star teams.
The tournament, held in Vaughan between March 18-20, marked the teams' third of the year, and showed exactly how much the squad has grown as a team throughout the season.
A lot of the Falcons success can be traced directly back to the defensive core according to team captain, and tournament MVP, Emily Costello.
“We had two previous tournaments,” Costello, a third-year child and youth worker student, said. “We didn't do as well with them as we'd hoped. But with each of the tournaments we got better.
“We knew we weren't really an offensive team, but we made up for that by having one of the best defenses I've ever seen.”
And a key part in all the victories was the Falcon's goalkeeper Ashley Strocki, who allowed only two goals over five contests while logging four shutout games during that span.
“We played a tough George Brown team in our first game,” said the team's coach, Martin Painter. “We struggled early but improved throughout the game and had a good second half. Our next game was against a very talented Humber team. Many people had pegged Humber as the favourites to win the Championship. We played our best game versus Humber and ended up winning 4-2.
“This was a key win because it reinforced all the work we had been doing and gave the players an extra dose of confidence.”
As for Costello, though defense played a key role, she can't overshadow the rest of the team, because it all really came down gelling at the right moment.
“We all just stepped up at the right time, and we won, so we reached our goal.”
For Kristina Melhuish, the team's veteran striker, the team was not only expecting to win the provincial title, but were hoping they'd get a chance to play the Humber squad.
“Honestly, we had a really weird feeling that we were going to win,” Melhuish, who has spent parts of four seasons playing with both the indoor and outdoor soccer teams, explained. “We didn't want to go in there too cocky just in case, but we did go in there confident and did what we wanted to do.”
And on top of a solid defense she thinks the team's biggest strength was that they were more than just teammates, they were friends.
“Our team is really close,” Melhuish continued. “Even small things like going out for dinner, it helps build on the field as well if we have those relationships with one another.
“Overall, it was a great experience and the girls played outstanding,” Painter stressed. “For some veterans, it was a great way to end their Collegiate playing careers. Not only did we win, but I think we won with style and class.”
In addition to Costello's MVP award, Jenn Sheehan and Melhuish were both named to the tournament all-star teams.
