It was jackpot time June 13-14 in Reno as the Cyclone swept four games on their way to their first tourney title at the Washoe Zephyr Tournament.
The weekend was set-up to be a good test of the Cyclone's improvement and focus as they faced off against a good mix of class 1 and 3 teams. The results ended up exceeding expectations.
The first game of the weekend was against the Healdsburg Spirit and it didn't take long for the Cyclone knock in their first goal of the season. At 1:45 into the game, Jillian connected from the top of the 18 for a 1-0 lead. The Cyclone adjusted to tough, physical play, and added another goal by Alyssa off a great corner by Kelly to take the first game 2-0.
The second game was a hometown special against Elk Grove Everton. A very close game, the Cyclone scored the winning goal with just minutes left as Kayla knocked a bounce off a Everton player off the crossbar and into the net. The Cyclone defense of Bre, Jillian, Karly, Michaela and Kenedi played exceptionally to limit Everton's opportunities and Cassidy made great saves all day as keeper to preserve the 1-0 win.
Sunday morning saw the Cyclone take on the Fair Oaks Eagles, one of the very best select teams in the region, for the tournament lead. With both teams coming into the game with 17 points, this game would decide the title. The game was a close one, with both teams playing strongly in the middle of the field and with speed up front. The Cyclone struck first, with another perfect corner by Kelly deflecting off an Eagle defender and into the net. The Eagles immediately counter attacked, but Cassidy and the defense held. Kacee nearly added a second first half goal, knocking shots off the goalie's hand (great save!) and the post. In the second half, the Cyclone again held off the Eagles offense and earned a counter-attack goal as a Kayla shot off the goalie was finished off by Alyssa with just minutes left to cap the game at 2-0.
In the final game Sunday, the Cyclone left little doubt they wanted "one more" and their first tourney title, scoring three goals in the first 15 minutes of the game (goals by Brittney, Elisabeth and Shannon, who also had two nice assists in the game). Jumping out to the quick lead, the Cyclone mixed things up in the second half, with Jillian earning the chance to stop her first PK, Krista playing solid defense and Mackenzie playing effectively in several positions in the middle of the field (and yes, that was a Karly sighting at center mid). The Cyclone finished the tournament with a 3-1 win.
In the end, the Cyclone went 4-0, outscored their opponents 8-1 and outshot them 42-29.
It's tough to sum up a great weekend for the team in 500 words, but we saw great strides in focus and game preparation, noted significant improvements in individual and team play and could not miss the FUN the team had together. It was a great start and showed that the Cyclone is set-up to have a great season ahead both on and off the field.
