Smurfs GDiv3 team tops at Round Robin tournament

The Smurfs GDiv3 team won a Round Robin tournament recently vs. six of the nine teams in its league. They played three games in the morning, and the final in the afternoon: 0-0, 1-0, 1-0, 2-1. The tournament was hosted by Carlsbad Lighting.

The Smurfs are a combination of 7th and 8th grade girls from Earl Warren Middle School, Saint James, Academy, and Horizon Prep. “All of our girls played fantastic, worked hard as a team and played with heart! I am very proud of their achievement! We are a comparatively small club and to win this meant a lot to all of the players (and parents),” said Head Coach Jim Carroll. “Memorable plays from the tournament took place in the third game when goalie Lily Morgans made an amazing save and ‘came out of nowhere’ to keep our team at ‘No Points Scored Against,’ which helped us make it to the final; and from Olivia Savage in the final, a goal from 30 yards out to secure a 2-1 win.”

But it was a team effort all the way with many girls playing multiple positions. At forward — Alyssa Carroll, Shannon Link, Allyson Tharp and Olivia Savage — all scored and had incredible “break-aways” throughout the day. Defenders Samantha Larson, Chloe Aretz, Aafje Day and Alexander Stevenson created a virtual wall, backed up by sure-handed (and fearless) goalies Meg Larkin, Thea Hanson and Lily Morgans. Midfielders Francesca Oldham, Eliz Ismailoglu, Carly Auerbach and Tatum Conley consistently charged ahead with great dribbling and passing skills that constantly kept the Smurfs on the offensive.

Team players include (in alphabetical order): Chloe Aretz, Margaret “Carly” Auerbach, Alyssa Carroll, Tatum Conley, Aafje Day, Thea Hanson, Eliz Ismailoglu, Megan “Meg” Larkin, Samantha “Sam” Larson, Shannon Link, Lily Morgans, Francesca Oldham, Olivia Savage, Alexandra Stevenson, Allyson Tharp.