A Mighty Special Year for Paradise U13 team

The Shoreline September 28, 2023October 10, 2023 0 Comments

September 22, 2023 Edition

The Paradise U13 girls team staged a major comeback from a difficult start to the season by capturing the provincial youth league championship. The team includes, starting in the back, from left: team manager Michelle Young, Sydney Mulcahy-Murphy, Kiley Murphy, Lydia Evans, Gabriella Knight, Marisa Wolfe, Anna Seymour, Georgia Hewitt, Sophia Waddleton, Reece Parsons, Reese Dunn, Kara Holden, Hayden Guiney, and head coach Alun Young. In the front, from left, are Ailee Young, Aubree Bartlett, and Peyton Stone. Missing from the photo are Grace Chapman and assistant coach Brooke Andrews.

The Paradise U13 female Premier Youth League (PYL) team is celebrating the club’s first ever female Provincial Youth League gold medal this fall following a 4-1 victory against St. John’s.

The tale of the team’s season has been the very definition of an underdog story.

The team went into their host Sunsplash tourney with a record of nine losses and two ties after 11 games.

Following a solid performance and a bronze medal win at the Sunsplash tournament, the team was able to right the ship, winning four out of the next five games, and squeaking into the final playoff position by one point.

The next two games were the team’s best of the season. The midfield controlled the game against Mount Pearl, and the team eventually ran a 2-0 victory in the semi final. Next up was St. John’s, a team Paradise had not beaten in the last three years of competition. Early goals from Aubree Bartlett and Haydyn Guiney put Paradise up 2-0, but it was a tense and tight affair with some timely saves by the Paradise goalkeeper, and hard work by the defense to keep them in it. St. John’s scored right after the half as they continued to apply pressure, but in the end Paradise’s midfielders were too strong, and took advantage of the space available to them as they emerged as 4-1 winners.

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