A tense game saw Whitehaven AFC U12 Yellows win the WCYL Futsal Blue League against a very good AllerdaleTigers Team 2-0.
Whitehaven Yellows started off very well, Ava Greeson was straight at it with very high energy and moving around the pitch and linking play. In the early going is Destiny Campbell who was having a great battle down the right wing, with a very to and fro battle with the Allerdale winger.
Destiny was showing great strength and good skills on the ball and linking up well with either Ava Greeson inside or Lilia Gill at the back. Captain Sophie McKee was looking menacing also up in striker position, chasing the ball down well and also linking with Ava & Destiny in what was a good early watch for spectators of the Whitehaven side.
But it wasn’t all one way traffic and for all the good play, the Allerdale keeper and defenders were equal to the task, and created their own attacks, with number 9 for Allerdale a constant threat and thorn in the Whitehaven team side.
However very much like the Allerdale keeper, Kacey McGarry in goals for Whitehaven was in sensational form and was making good saves, but also for kick in’s she just plucked balls out the air from crosses which just settled everyone around her and gave the team confidence. Her early balls often to Lilia Gill were good and Lilia who played one of her best performances of the season was really pulling the strings for the Whitehaven team, and mixing up long balls and cute short balls when you thought she might go long, and when she came under pressure she was equal to any 1v1s and won them.
Into the second Qtr at 0-0 it continued to be very even and very tense affair, and Alerdale very nearly took the lead with a long range effort that bounced off the crossbar. Katie Henshaw had entered the fray now and her left foot wand was fully loads and ready to go as she tricked inside and out against her opponent and had a couple of chances to score the opener, narrowly shooting wide. Molly Butler now came on as the team changed formation and it must be said she didn’t put a foot wrong and continued to build of a good second half performance last time out, looking always assured on the ball and playing some lovely passes into attacking areas.
It was Sophia Conway who probably had the best chance of the Qtr for the Yellows, after coming on and showing huge amounts of energy to win the ball, she found herself on the right hand side and unleashed a great powerful strike which narrowly went wide. She continued to play well and with urgency and took a number of quick kick in’s which threatened the Allerdale goal. Once again though and the themof the day it was not one way, Allerdale were carving chances out themselves and the Whitehaven team was having to work extremely hard to stop a goal as Allerdale moved it well and created spaces for shots which Kacey McGarry continued to save.
It was 0-0 going into the third Qtr and now any goal would certainly be a big step to lifting the shield and Whitehaven thought they’d scored, a kick in was taken on the left and put into the box and the goalkeeper tried to stop it and it went in, it was controversially chalked off by the referee. The game continued at 0-0 and Tilly Gregg had now entered the game and was doing well with her partner in defence, not diving in against a very strong opponent, but shadowing them down the side, making the angle really difficult ti shot or cross and when she won the ball she played good balls up the side to team mates. Whitehaven then did score to break the dead lock when Captain Sophie McKee, who is strong on both feet shot a powerful shot and it flew into the net giving the keeper no chance.
The Final Qtr came and Abbie Kegg was showing great enthusiasm to win the ball and play clever passes and after a good move resulting in a shot from her tem mate, she was alert to the chance and hit the rebound first time to make it 2-0. Oakley Hocking playing her first ever season was now battling hard down the left side and one of her strengths, her passing was really good, trying to find team mates, and she was unlucky not to grab a goal with a number of blocked shots.
In the final minutes Destiny Campbell and Ava Greesoncame back on to support Lilia Gill and Oakley and see the game out, but as the girls set up a good attack, the Allerdlegirls won it, and with all the Whitehaven players attacking, it was the Allerdale striker against Kacey McGarry, Kacey ran out the goal like Usain Bolt, making herself really big and when the shot came in, she had narrowed the angle really well and saved the shot, and with the final whistle going seconds later, the Yellows held on for a great win.
Coaches for Whitehaven said ‘Another great advert for girls futsal in West Cumbria today, Allerdale are a terrific side and top coaches and cracking players who we always enjoy playing and had lots of very close games this season, really want to thank them for a great game, but also massive credit to them all at the end, all their girls and coaches a credit to their club and very gracious. Must say special thank you to one of their players we believe is called Kobi, sorry if we spelt that wrong, really talented player, but really lovely lass as well, and she waited right to the end after all photos taken to come over by herself to congratulate everyone. Football is much more than just winning trophies and we think this girl has a great future ahead of her with that type of attitude, both on and off the pitch.
For our girls we are really chuffed to bits for them, we have a girl who only started this season and also the team as a whole been really put together as a team this year and they’ve done incredibly well, to win all their games over the league season against some top top teams is really good and we are really proud of them all.
Girl of the Game for Whitehaven AFC – Kacey McGarry & Lilia Gill
It was impossible to separate the girls, having a clean sheet in futsal is really difficult, and these two girls were exceptional at the back, Lilia had a really tough injury plagued season last year and has managed to overcome them to really play well this year. In Kacey, we have a keeper who hasn’t been with us for 12 months yet but already is a huge player in the squad, and another girl who didn’t play for a club until last year, but she’s a great character off the pitch and was amazing today.
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