Written by Leon Mcleod – Pathways Sports Coach
Loreto College were host to Riverside and Salford College in the last tournament of the season. Although we would normally expect a few more teams to attend, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the teams taking part and it proved to be a fantastic demonstration of how football should be played.
Loreto Lions won their first fixture 2-0 with Abdulqadri scoring both goals, bagging a brace. The 2nd match against Salford ended in a 1-0 defeat, despite Loreto creating a whole host of chances to score. There was some fantastic goalkeeping from the Salford College keeper as well as some resolute defending I’m sure the Loreto Lions. Unfortunately, we succumbed to a sucker punch and conceded a goal from the only shot Salford had on the target.
The Lions had to play Salford again in the reverse fixture. This time the match finished 2-1 in favour of Salford with Abdulqadri grabbing a consolation goal after Salford had taken a 2-0 lead.
We entered our final match against Riverside knowing that if were to win by two clear goals then the trophy would be ours. Once again, the Loreto Lions created chance after chance but found the Riverside goalkeeper in top form. The Lions managed to break through the Riverside rear guard just the once and the match ended 1-0 with Nathan scoring from close range after a well-worked move. Both teams were level on points and goal difference and so the match had to be decided by the teams taking a penalty shoot-out.
Teams nominated their three penalty takers and the shoot-out commenced. Both teams converted their first 2 penalties and missed their last two. The shoot-out now moved onto sudden death. Riverside scored the 1st penalty which left Loreto Lions needing to score to stay in the tie. Kyle bravely volunteered to step up for the crucial kick and despite hitting a sweet strike towards the bottom corner he found his shot tipped around the post by the Riverside goalkeeper. After their 3-2 victory, Riverside were crowned winners and went home with the trophy.
Loreto Lions won an award for Best Team for Fair Play, and Abdulqadri scooped a trophy for being the top goal scorer in the tournament
The tournament was organised and facilitated by Loreto’s mainstream P.E Department who made the day a fantastic, enjoyable experience for all participants. Thank you for your tremendous effort in hosting the tournament.