CSS Sports

⚽️🏆OKANAGANS SECURED🏆⚽️
Wow.. After a tough league campaign, the opportunity for qualifying for Zones was on the line for the CSS girl's soccer team in tonight's playoff final against Ashcroft. CSS have failed to beat Ashcroft this year and the girls knew they needed to give it their all in the Kamloops heat.

The teams were balanced throughout the whole game and there was little to separate them in the first half. Aubrey F, Presley D and Teigan D-R all had a glimpse at goal, but nothing that troubled the Ashcroft goalie. At the other end, Grace J made a goal line clearance after a scramble in the Raider's box. Half time 0-0.

Second half was almost identical with no shots on goal, but Raiders worked hard off the ball to keep Ashcroft's dangerous players at bay. End of regulation time, 0-0.

At this point the heat and the fatigue was starting to kick in, but CSS, with a healthy bench behind them, battled on. Two halves of extra time were played without a break, in an effort to split the two teams. Again, the tie remained goalless and CSS headed to a shootout, a fete they have become accustomed too.

For the fifth time in a week, CSS lined up at half, this time with more pressure than ever. Win and they go onto Zones, lose and their season is over.

With Shanti P in goal and Sniper Simone C shooting first, CSS looked for a strong start. Ashcroft's first 2 shooters missed the target, and Simone struck sweetly to put CSS 1-0 up. Shanti made a big save, but Raiders missed 2 in a row, and Ashcroft converted their next one to tie it up 1-1. Keeley Y, in her first shootout this year stepped up and dispatched to give CSS the 2-1 advantage. With tension building, enter Shanti P to make another magnificent save to send her team into a chorus of celebration. CSS victorious, a low scoring shootout win to end an extremely close game.

Alida C won the MVP of the game after being on the end of some crunching hits, but she didn't let it affect her game, as she dusted herself off and got stuck in multiple times!

The girls head to Lake Country on Tuesday to compete in Okanagans for a place at Provincials.

Let's go Raiders! ⚽️⚽️⚽️