sports

Tsunami Win in Labor Day Tournament

Last month, the Melbourne Beach Tsunami Under-13 girls entered the inaugural Hurricane Classic tournament in Merritt Island and showed they meant business by dropping one of the state’s best-regarded teams, the Florida Soccer Alliance Warhawks, as well as dealing shutouts to Melbourne-Eau Gallie United and Greater Osceola.

A couple of weekends later, they served notice again in the Melbourne Area Beaches Girls Labor Day Challenge, where they repeated as champions of their age group in the National Division. The Tsunami went undefeated in five matches, scoring 14 times and allowing only two goals.

Not bad for a group of girls just getting used to full-sided soccer in one of the annual biggest tournaments of its kind, with 100 squads from throughout Florida.

It was a good weekend for local players overall, as Brevard Youth Soccer League teams won seven division championships.

Melbourne-Eau Gallie United’s Under-10 Fusion Dynamites topped the Continental Division by dropping Pine Crest 2-1; the Tsunami Warning dropped Port St. John 3-0 in U-11 Continental play; the Space Coast Storm earned the U-11 National crown by dropping Cobras 3-0; The U-12 Continental title went to Indialantic after the Force edged SCU 2-1; Space Coast United’s Storm Elite took U-12 National honors after edging Creeks Clash 3-2; Satellite Beach nipped Titusville SWAT 2-1 in the Continental final; and SCU Elite tripped Ocala 5-2 for the U-17 National trophy.

“This group of girls is fit, smart and play with an incredible amount of intensity, but they realize that we play to enjoy the game as well as one another’s company that creates an atmosphere that encourages them to be creative and take chances,” said Dean Pekmezian, the U-13 Tsunami’s longtime coach.

The team’s first opponent in the Labor Day tournament was the rival Space Coast Storm, and the Tsunami struck fast when Emily Wirth collected a through ball and struck it perfectly for the 1-0 advantage. The Tsunami went into the break with a 2-0 lead and defended it well for the 2-1 result. The second match brought Plant City’s Lancers Black, and the result was identical, thanks to spectacular play by the Plant City keeper.

South Florida’s formidable West Pines, which had not allowed a goal in the first two matches of the tournament, was next, and although the Tsunami’s defenders were up to the task, so were the Browardians, and the match ended in regulation time with a draw at nil.

Sunday’s second game found the Tsunami confronted by another west Broward County side, the Cooper City Cobras, but the latter had no venom and were subjected to a 6-0 hammering. The highlight of the match was a magnificently nodded ball into the net by Summer Rydson.

That set the stage for a rematch with West Pines and this time, the Tsunami had on their scoring boots, rolling past struggling west Pines defenders to the championship, 4-0

“This tournament is billed as the largest girls-only tournament in the U.S., with tough competition in all age groups, so winning it back-to-back is a nice achievement for the girls.”

The Tsunami girls begin their league play in the FSL, Florida State League this month with a visit to the west coast of Florida and matches against the quality teams in the Tampa area.

Other division winners in the Labor Day Challenge were: Under-9 National, Cooper City; U-10 National, Wellington Wave Blue; U-13 Continental, Ponte Vedra; U-14 Continental, Plant City; U-14 National, Creeks Clash Blue; U-15 National, Ocala Lightning; U-16 Continental, First Hernando Heat; U-16 National, Weston Fury Nike; U-17 Continental, Satellite Beach Lightning; U-17 National, Space Coast United Elite; U-18 National, Wellington Premier; U-19 National, Winter Haven Kicks.

In the photo:

The Melbourne Beach Under-13 Tsunami, winner of the Melbourne Area Beaches Girls Labor Day Challenge. From left, back row: assistant coach Jim Rauchfuss, assistant coach Scott Miller, Ashley Baerlocher, Emily Wirth, Sara Graves, Ashley Pekmezian, coach Dean Pekmezian; third row: Katie Higgins, Abi Baloun, Nicolette Duffin, Summer Rydson, Michelle Marrin; second row: Mason Hill, Emily Morgan, Kate Elstun, Claire Rauchfuss, Keira McCarthy; front: Eden Miller, Traci Knowlton