Wolves awarded silver in Florida
The St. Catharines Club Roma Wolves NRSP U16 girls came away with a silver medal at the 2024 Disney Cup in Florida.
The Wolves came out strong in the showcase opener with a 5-0 win over Florida Cape Coral. The speed of Brooke Stevens, Kaylee Peterson, Kella Montgomery and Cadie Kish were hard for Florida to contain. A midfield led by Mackenzie Munro-Flora, Thalia Camelino, Sophie Solodiuk, Alexa Beaulieu and Zeynep Coskan-Johnson dominated possession. Sophia Verrelli had an outstanding game at central defensive midfielder offering support to wingbacks Ava Rose and Chloe McNeil.
Stevens had two goals while Munro-Flora, Camelino and Kella Montgomery added one.
In the second game, Roma faced Chicago Elite 11 and secured a 1-0 win with strong defensive leadership from Mackenzie Kikkert, Daphne Gray and Bronwyn Hunter. Strong midfield play throughout the game helped Roma control the match and resulted in a combination play between Camelino and Munro-Flora which created the winning goal on a rainy night.
All third games cancelled due to rain. The Wolves were in first place at time of cancellation and advanced to the gold medal game where they dropped a 2-1 decision to Detroit City FC.
Roma went up 1-0 at half on a beautiful strike from Munro-Flora. Though Roma dominated possession and chances, Detroit scored late to secure the win.
“I am incredibly proud of the girls and their performance,” coach Walter Camelino said. “It is a different game at this level; it is much more physical and quicker than we play locally. I have received positive feedback and interest from schools about several players, so it was a successful trip for the group. More importantly, this group of girls is so connected that it was fun watching them absorb the environment and the experiences together. There is an extraordinary team environment growing within the squad and parents. It is very rewarding to be a part of.”
Goal scorers for the weekend were Munro-Flora, Camelino, Stevens and Montgomery while Vanessa Dube was strong in goal.
The games were played in dedication to Roma’s top goal scorer, Reese Rotella, who missed the showcase with a late foot injury and didn’t travel with the team.
“I am extremely proud of the girls and how they played this weekend and, more importantly, how they presented themselves throughout the tournament and the weekend in general,” said Mark Bolton, Club Roma’s General Manager, Soccer Operations. “They represented our High Performance Program and Club Roma proud.”
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