Cedar U-10 Girls Are St Croix SummerFest Football Tournament Champions

The Manatees/Cedar International School Green Girls Football Team are the new St Croix Under-10 SummerFest Football Tournament champions.

It was a nail-biting 1-0 victory over the host Lady Rovers U-10 A Team. The lone goal of the championship game was scored by Evie Stanton from a brilliant assist from Isabella Quezada Hernandez.

A Cedar International School press statement said Stanton was also named MVP of the eight-club tournament.

Two Cedar teams –  Pink and Green – represented the British Virgin Islands at the St. Croix tournament,  June 16 – 18, which was organised by the Lady Rovers.

The Manatees/Cedar Pink team lost 1-0 in the Bronze Medal match against Castaways Football Club from St. Thomas. They secured fourth place overall with captain Isla Meyers taking home the Golden Boot award for scoring ten goals during the competition.

Assistant Coach Peter McKeown Walley said that “the girls will not soon forget this tournament.”

Matt Freeman, a supporter who made the journey to St. Croix, added that “the girls were understandably nervous entering the game, but quietly confident as they had continued to improve throughout the three day tournament under extremely hot conditions. Their determination, fight and grit on display from the opening whistle to the final whistle when kids and supporters alike could be seen hugging each other with tears in their eyes.”

Head Organiser Julie Reich said the victory is a celebration of the school’s football programme which is opened to all children.

“The victory by the U-10s in St. Croix is a wonderful way to celebrate the Cedar Soccer Sisters After School Programme and the Manatees Saturday Morning Youth Football Programmes both of which are open to the whole Tortola community. Early this year, the U-18 Cedar Girls Team won in an equally contested tournament in Jamaica so it’s nice to see success on both ends of the youth programmes.”

Under-10 girls who made the trip to St Croix were Livia Vass, Evelyn Freeman, Isabella Quezada Hernandez, Maisy Sutherland Pilch, Jemma Sutherland Pilch, Lily Graham, Jannah Bazzar, Haven Meyers, Ivy-Rose Butler, Piper Bailey, Mira Meyers, Isla Meyers, Dottie Whitting-Knight, Katya Kampov-Walley and Evie Stanton.

Eva Carey and Imogen Allen played with the Under-15 Castaways Football Club.

The teams were headed by Head Coaches John Reilly and Alessandro Palladino, Assistant Coach Peter McKeown Walley and Teams’ Coordinator Sophie Stanton.