The Yorkton United Under 14 Girls soccer team claimed a silver medal at the 2013 Saskatchewan Indoor Soccer Provincial Championships in Regina recently.
The first game of the tournament was against Regina Unidad. Yorkton controlled the play the entire game with many scoring chances and came out on top 1-0. Leia Zulyniak scored the game winner with Marley Kosedy earning the shutout in goal.
The second game of the round robin was against a much tougher opponent, Saskatoon Lakewood. This was an evenly played game with great offensive and defensive play from both teams, with Yorkton United prevailing in the end 2-1. Goal scorers were Leia Zulyniak and Taryn Kustra with the game winner.
The final round robin game would determine the final standings in the round robin pool and decide which two teams would advance to the playoff round. The opponent was Swift Current and once again this was a back and forth match with a final score of 1-1. Jordan Holinaty scored the goal for Yorkton. The tie ensured the club of first place in their pool and they advanced to the playoff round.
In the semi-finals the club was slated to take on Saskatoon Hollandia. However due to some unforeseen circumstances Yorkton advanced to the final by default as the Saskatoon club did not show up for the semi-final. The Final was a rematch of the second game in the round robin as it pitted Yorkton against Saskatoon Lakewood. Just like the first time they met, this was an entertaining back and forth game which saw Yorkton take the lead early in the game on a goal by Leia Zulyniak. Saskatoon came back to tie the game just before half time. The second half of the match was back and forth with strong play from both sides. After regulation the score was still tied 1-1. The teams then played two five minute overtime periods in which either team was unable to capitalize on chances, thus meaning a shootout would decide the outcome of the Final. Unfortunately Saskatoon was able to win the shootout and claim the gold medal, but overall both the teams and the fans were the victors in the well played exciting display of soccer.
This was a great accomplishment for this team that was very young and included 4 players from the Under 12 team and the first Provincial competition for many others. The leadership provided by Allison Berge, Darrian Desjarlais and Leia Zulyniak combined with the strong play all weekend from the other members of the team was a great testament to the character and skill level of the entire team.
