The New York Lady Magpies hosted the first women's tournament of the 2010 season at on May 8. Three teams competed in the Big Apple for the first hit out of the year: the New York Lady Magpies, the Toronto Central Lady Blues, and the Reds, a fusion team comprised of players from Atlanta, Baltimore, Minnesota, Arizona, Milwaukee, and Denver. The tournament was a great success with tough tackling and determination at the ball under the hot sun in Yonkers, NY.
Reds vs. Lady Magpies
Getting a bit of a late start, the tournament began with the Reds battling the home team Lady Magpies. There was no home field advantage in this match however. The Lady Magpies played 2 players down against a Reds team comprised of mostly former US Freedom players. The skill and experience of the Reds showed on the scoreboard with the Reds racking up 10 goals in the 1st half.
Baltimore Washington Lady Eagle Judith Stein’s determination crumbing the ball out of the ruck gave the Reds the advantage in the middle for the majority of the game. Eileen Geoghegan (BWE) proved to be a gunner with a massive kicks traveling over half the length of the field.
On the NY side, rookie Rebecca Gallogly proved to be a natural kicking 2 goals in her first game ever. Without Jane Moore at fullback, the Reds would’ve surely doubled their successes on goal. The Reds had to fight hard in the middle due to the constant determination at the ball of Andrea Casillas. With a squad comprised of half rookies and half vets, the Lady Pies walked away with their heads high despite the loss.
1st HalfNY 1.1.7
Reds 10.6.66
Final
NY. 2.1.13
Reds 16.13.109
NY Goalkickers: Rebecca Gallogly
Reds Goalkickers: Suzy Thomas 5, Eileen Geoghegan 3, JudithStein 2, Brittany Balsamo 2, Anna Thexton 2, Emily Riehl, Kathryn Hogg
Best NY: 1) Rebecca Gallogly 2) Jane Moore 3) Andrea Casillas
Best Reds: 1) Eileen Geoghegan 2)Kathryn Hogg 3) Bec Pearce
Injuries NY: Odette Smolicz (ribs)
Toronto Central Lady Blues vs. New York Lady Magpies
In a more evenly matched game, the Lady Pies took on the visiting Lady Blues. With the addition of the McHale sisters, NY seemed to crumb the footy all over the field denying the Blues of much action in the 1st half. Erin Polulach’s stellar performance in the ruck for the Pies ensured that the black and white won most of the taps. However, the Blues possessed speed and agility in the middle often coming out of the center with the footy.
Jane Moore moved up the field to a more comfortable position at full forward and successfully scored 3 goals during the match. New York dominated the uprights with 7 goalkickers total.
The Pies tiring in the second half opened up the doors for the Lady Blues to close the gap on the scoreboard. Molly Gamble, Rochelle Allan and Katherine Morton proved themselves on the oval, keeping the pressure on the Lady Pies the entire 40 minutes. With ferocious tackling and struggles for the ball on the ground, these 2 squads battled it out until the end with the home team coming out on top.
First HalfNY 6.4.40
Blues 2.1.13
Final
NY 10.8.68
Blues 3.4.22
NY Goalkickers: Jane Moore 3, Erin Polulach 2, Bec Pearce, Andrea Casillas, Monica Robbins, Rebecca McHale, Christina Licata
Blues Goalkickers: Rochelle Allan, Molly Gamble, Kristyn Kowalewski
Best NY: 1) Siobhan McHale 2) Rachel Sweeney 3) Monica Robbins
Best Blues: 1) Molly Gamble 2) Rochelle Allan 3) Katherine Morton
Reds vs. Toronto Central Lady Blues
In the last match of the day, the Reds defeated the Blues in game that seemed dominated by the experience of the veterans of US Women’s Footy. The Blues, down some women, enlisted the aid of Lady Magpies Jane Moore and Siobhan McHale on the field.
The Reds won the ball off the tip and made goal-scoring look easy with 6 from Stein and 5 from Geoghegan. Despite their attempts at the ball, the Blues ended the first half scoreless. Full of heart, the Blues fought on until the end of the grueling 40-minute game. NY’s McHale was voted best for the Blues picking the ball up and being the only goalkicker for the side.
1st HalfReds 10.8.68
Blues 0.0.0
Final
Reds 18.18.126
Blues 1.0.6
Goalkickers Reds: Judith Stein 6, Eileen Geoghegan 5, Kathryn Hogg 2, Suzy Thomas, Anna Thexton, Andrea Placencio, Emily Riehl, Bec Pearce
Goalkickers Blues: Siobhan McHale (NY)
Best Reds: 1) Judith Stein 2) Eileen Geoghegan 3) Marie LaVictorie
Best Blues: 1) Siobhan McHale (NY) 2) Allison Godard 3) Katherine Morton
Tournament Best on Ground: Judith Stein (Reds)
