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Soccer cup has silver lining
Mia Thomas, staff reporter
Five Burnaby girls were on a team that proved it's up there with the best at an international soccer tournament in the U.S. last week.
The Whitecaps u-12 girls went down to Minnesota to play in the U.S.A. Cup, the largest international youth tournament in the Western Hemisphere, which ran July 18 to 23.
Ellie Delich, Isabella Di Trocchio, Samantha Drescher, Kayla Klim and Lindsey Pulice all play for the select team, which drew players from a number of area clubs and was coached by Donn Sparks.
Emily Ancill, a New Westminster girl who plays on a Burnaby team, was also on the Whitecaps u-12 side.
After whipping through group play, a quarter-final and semifinal, the Whitecaps girls lost 2-1 in the final when their opponents, the Minnesota Tsunami, scored with seconds left in overtime to take the title.
"It was difficult to know what to expect, especially at that age, when you go away to a tournament," said Dan Lenarduzzi, the Whitecaps' youth director.
But the girls proved that, even though they aren't a club team and just came together in April, they had gelled quickly.
"We definitely are at the same level as other teams," Lenarduzzi continued, noting it was particularly impressive because the girls hadn't played together as long as the others had.
"We didn't have the years together that other teams had. For our girls that did that well, we're very proud of them."
The local team had been battling their opponents throughout the final match, and it wasn't until the second half that the Tsunami were able to capitalize on a rebound and go ahead.
In the game's closing minutes, it was Drescher who got the assist in the Whitecaps' lone goal after a long shot hit the post.
The ball fell to another player, who scored and tied the game, sending it into overtime.
Minnesota's winning goal came on a long-range shot that caught the top corner of the net.
The tournament, which included a range of age levels and both girls and boys, attracted 15,000 players on 982 teams from 15 countries.
The Whitecaps u-12 girls started off strong in group play, defeating Quebec 1-0 with a goal by Pulice in their opener.
They defeated Hawaii 4-1 in the next game, with Drescher getting one goal and one assist.
In their final game of the opening round, the Whitecaps drew Minnesota 1-1.
In the quarter-finals, Di Trocchio scored and Delich got an assist in the Whitecaps' 3-0 win over another team from Minneapolis.
Di Trocchio notched another one in the Whitecaps' 2-1 win over Quebec in the semifinals, which had gone into a penalty shootout.
It had been a nail-biter, Lenarduzzi noted.
"That's even more nerve-racking for girls that age," he explained.
The girls who met in a Burnaby park to talk about the tournament were enthusiastic about all they'd gained - not least of which were a few basic phrases in Portuguese, courtesy of some Brazilian players.
"It was fun, and it was nice to play other teams from around the world," said Di Trocchio, who plays in the forward position and attends Holy Cross elementary school.
"It was difficult to play some of the teams, like Minnesota, because they're really tough, so we had to play hard."
Delich, a student at Forest Grove elementary who plays centre midfield, agreed.
"I found it a great learning experience," she said. "It was fun playing teams from outside B.C.: the Brazilians, the Colombians."
Pulice, who plays right back and attends Montecito elementary school, enjoyed the challenge.
"It was definitely a competitive tournament," she said. "And the games were hard, most of them."
Pulice noted that the international aspect also appealed to her.
"It was neat playing against different teams that we wouldn't normally play against, here back home.
"It was a really fun tournament and I think the whole team really enjoyed it."
Klim, a Stoney Creek community school student who plays goal for the Whitecaps side, said it was "a really fun and exciting experience" and she is proud of their performance.
"I'm really glad that we played well and came second," she said. "This is the first time the Whitecaps have had a u-12 team, so we've set the bar high for next year."
U-17 girls' semi
Two Burnaby girls were on the Whitecaps' u-17 team that also shone at the championship, even having to play two levels up.
Michelle Pulice had two goals and two assists through the tournament and Stephanie Pagliaro, who played well on defence, also got an assist.
The u-17 girls handily won their group, defeating Minnesota 3-0, Dakota 4-1 and Burnsville 11-0.
They had a bye to the semifinal, but they were upset in that match by St. Paul, losing 2-1 in a penalty shootout.
published on 07/29/2006
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