GIRLS U14 THUNDERBOLTS KICK OFF SEASON WITH WIN OVER NORTHAMPTON!

The Girls U14 Thunderbolts team kicked off their season for the club against rival Northampton with an impressive 4-0 win.  Goal scoring power was provided by Natalia Ovando and  Kathryn O'Brien, and their strong defense prevented Northampton from scoring.  What a great way to start the season early on Sat morning at the Middle School!.

Girls U9 West Side Lighting "light it up" in their opening games

West Side's youngest girls team, the West Side Lightning, consists of 12 girls: 10 2nd graders and 2 third graders, and is playing in the Division 2 of the PV girls U9 bracket, a tough challenge certainly for such a young team.  The question was how all the new girls would respond to the competiion, and after the weeked the answer was with great heart, enthusiasm, and lightning quick scoring!

Lead by coaches Meenu Hastings and Jenna Lisella, the Lightning battled an older Easthampton team to a 2-2 tie, and a Wilbraham team to a close 3-2 loss.  The Easthampton game was played at John Ashley in front of over 100 spectators, and the Lightning did not dissappoint as they scored their first ever goal in the first half to go up 1-0!   Lauren Armstrong's previous PV experience paid off midway thru the half as she gathered the ball, beat 2 defenders, and even dribbled it past the opponent's goalie into the net.   Spectacular goalie work from Teaghan Hall and Adrienne Valentini kept the score close all day, and then with 10 seconds left in the game Lauren Armstrong scored her 2nd goal to tie it at 2-2, just beating the final whistle.  She simply would not be denied as she stole the ball carried it to the penalty stripe and delivered a rocket shot into the back of the net.  The hometown parents were all thrilled!  Then the next day against Wilbraham, the Lighting fought hard in the heat, and with goals by Kate Brosseau and Lauren Armstrong they kept the game close all the way to the end.  Fantastic job by all the Lightning players and coaches Meenu and Jenna!

BOYS U9 Strikers "Strike" over weekend!

The Boys U9 Strikers are a young team of 14 2nd graders, led by coaches Mark Salamon and Kristy Severino.  They are extremely enthusiastic and go all out on the field!  On Saturday the Strikers played Wilbraham to a 1-1 tie.  The boys played great in their first game.  John "Jack" Ansart scored his first goal and Zachary Jerard had the assist.  The offensive line was strong, and lead some powerful charges to the goal.  The halfbacks had their work cut out for them with their running the field, but they held their own considering they only had 1 sub!  Defensive players were very solid and stopped multiple attacks on the net.  The goalkeepers Zachary Lynn and Joey Severino both saved multiple goals and kept the game alive for the team.  Great Job Guys!

On Sunday the Strikers played Palmer and ended with a 3-1 loss on a very hot day with only 3 subs on the bench.  Nathan Salamon scored his first goal of the season by beating out 4 defenders and finishing with and outside shot to put the ball in the back of the net.  The offensive line really shined but the Palmer defense had 3 defenders at all times protecting their goal.  Morgan Lilley, Evan Paglis, Kyle Jerard, Jack Ansart and Nathan Salamon lead the front line and dominated the ball.  The halfbacks and defense also held their own, but the older Palmer players broke thru once and also scored 2 goals from 20+ yards out.  Despite the loss, the boys are maturing with every game and are having fun learning.  GREAT GAME GUYS!

West Side Cheetahs win 5-1 Scrimmage over Div 1 foe Westfield

At Westfield's professional grade field, the Cheetahs scrimmaged Westfield and came out with a convincing 5-1 victory.  Being their first game on the big field 11 v 11, the Cheetahs learned how to spread the formation.  Within 5 minutes long-time PV veteran Natalie Armstrong found the back of the net with a strong 20 yard blast.  The defense prevented Westfield from getting off any shots close in, so the Cheetahs took advantage of that and Natalie broke thru the opponent defense to score 2 more goals for a 3-0 halftime lead.

With strong goaltending from Shannon LaRochelle, the Cheetahs did not give up a goal until late in the game.  By that time Natalie was able to score her 4th goal on a spectacular half-field run and top-corner shot, and then Jillian Bail from the right forward beat 2 defenders and finished a great low-angle shot for goal #5.  Final score was 5-1, and the Cheetahs are feeling really good about the larger goal and field dimensions that leverage their team strengths.  Great job Cheetahs!!

 OTHER TEAM RESULTS:

GIRLS U9 Quick Strike won both games 7-0 over weekend!

Boys U14 United won 2 games over weekend!

Boys U10 United battled to 2-2 tie versus Div 1 powerhouse Ludlow!