On Monday, May 8, a selection of our IFS girls took part in the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools (AICES) football tournament which gives players the opportunity to be selected as a representative of Independent colleges in our region. The colleges bring students from as far as Port Stephens in the north, Orange in the west and Bega in the south.
Our girls played three games in the qualifying round which resulted in two wins and one loss. This gave the girls an opportunity to play in the semi-final against Hunter Region Independent Schools (HRIS) who are the current champions of last year’s competition. It was an exciting match with our girls, who were representing Combined District Secondary Sports Association (CDSSA), coming close to producing an upset after creating some excellent scoring opportunities. In the end the match was decided by one goal to HRIS from some individual brilliance by one of their star players.
By the end of the tournament I was very proud of how the girls took to this very competitive event that included a lot of talented players from around the state. We had players aged 12 through to 17 displaying their skills in trying to achieve the next level of selection. Our girls were faced with tough competition as is always the case where selectors have to make the difficult decisions as to who will step up to the next level. Alyssa Togo-Paragali from Year 9 was selected for the next phase and all of our girls who missed out should be proud of their efforts.
The same girls plus one then took on Hunter Valley Grammar in the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) cup which is a knockout competition for all Independent colleges. A lot of the players from this college were also members of the winning HRIS region that won the AICES competition on Monday. Our girls again lost narrowly, 2-1. Now representing IFS, our girls dominated a lot of the possession and had numerous shots on target but one of the players of the match was the Hunter Valley goal keeper who made each shot look easy to save.
I had the pleasure of managing and coaching this talented group of girls and I see a lot of talent that will one day yield many trophies and medals. Whilst they continue to develop their football I hope they also continue to enjoy the game and maintain their fun-loving attitude.
CIS Squad:
Top Row: Annalise, Nina, Leisl, Emily, Mia
Middle Row: Piper, Cheyenne, Ruby, Kez, Jess, Alyssa
Bottom Row: Gemma, Ashleigh, Ellyse
Well done girls!
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