Girls U-16 Yellow team brings home top honors from Orange Classic Soccer Tournament in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

A week in sunny Florida could be a distraction for many soccer teams, but not the Rochester Jr. Rhinos GU 16 Yellow team.  After finishing in second place a year previous, this team was determined to bring home the top prize.   It would not be an easy task; top teams from around the United States and Canada were selected for the Orange Classic College Showcase Soccer Tournament (formerly the Orange Bowl Soccer Classic).  Fifteen other teams were in the Jr. Rhinos division and the team would need to win their bracket in order to move on to the playoff round.

The first match of the tournament proved to be the toughest of the preliminary round.  The Jr. Rhino’s faced the U-16 girls form the Ohio Elite Soccer Club.  It was an afternoon match under the hot Florida sun.  As the temperature approached the mid-eighties, the two northern teams battled the heat and each other, with the Jr. Rhinos coming out on top 2-1.  The second match was against the Jensen Beach Tigers (Florida).  This contest saw the Jr. Rhinos controlling much of the play and enjoying a 2-0 victory.  With two wins under their belt, a third victory would ensure that the Jr. Rhinos would advance to the playoff round.   The final opponent in the preliminaries would be the Sting ’92 girls (affiliated with the Dallas Sting professional club out of Texas).   Could a team from the north compete in the heat against a group from Dallas?  The Jr. Rhinos scored early in the match.  Once again, the team’s defense came up big and preserved the shut out.  In three preliminary matches, the Jr. Rhinos would only allow one goal.

In the playoff round, the Jr. Rhinos faced off against DSA Black ’91 girls from Dayton, Ohio.  The winner of the match would move on to the Championship Game.   The match turned into a defensive battle.  At every juncture the Jr. Rhino’s turned away every scoring opportunity.  Led by Liz Cusato in the middle and flanked by Bridget Kehm and Ally Abel, the Jr. Rhino’s defense preserved yet another shut out and the match ended in a 0 – 0 tie.   A winner would be decided by penalty kicks.  The post match competition did not start out well for the Jr. Rhinos, as they were down 0 – 2 after the first two rounds of PK’s.  As luck would have it, DSA missed their next 2 shots and the Jr. Rhinos successfully made 4 goals in a row and advanced to the Championship Game, winning on PK’s 4 –  3.

In the Championship Match, the Jr. Rhinos would face tough local foe, Real Salt Lake, Florida Elite Girls.  Knowing the team from Real Salt Lake had won many previous competitions, the Jr. Rhinos would have their work cut out for them.   The Championship match was held roughly two hours after they completed their game against DSA.  This presented a great challenge for the girls.  Real Salt Lake generated a few scoring opportunities, but Jr. Rhinos keeper Dani Britt made spectacular saves.  Britt, together with her defense prevented the Florida team from scoring.  This match too ended in a 0 – 0 tie.  The Jr. Rhinos had only allowed 1 goal against in five matches.  The Orange Classic Champion would be decided on penalty kicks.  Determined and focused, the Jr. Rhino players were successful on their first four penalty kicks; Britt saved two of Real Salt Lake’s shots.  The Jr. Rhinos came out on top 4 – 2 and are the 2007 Orange Classic Soccer Champions.