The Winnipeg 1v1 Futbol Dreams Academy U15 girls soccer team certainly has much to be thankful for this weekend.
The Manitoba side won a National title in Charlottetown, defeating the host Province of Prince Edward Island, 2-0, in Monday’s championship final at the University of PEI.
Following a scoreless first half, Manitoba took a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute on a penalty kick when Ella Santarsieri drilled a shot just past the outstretched hands of the diving PEI goalkeeper.
The “visitors” made it 2-0 just 10 minutes later when Amella Puskar re-directed Santarsieri’s beautifully executed corner kick into the back of the net.
Head Coach Nano Romero wasn’t surprised by his team’s performance in the final, or throughout the Tournament. “I believe our team had a solid week,” said Romero via text interview. “It was a dominant performance from the very first game to the very last.”
Winnipeg 1v1 went through the tournament undefeated, opening play with a 3-1 win over Celtic Haut of Richelieu, Quebec on Wednesday. Following a day off on Thursday, the Manitobans made it two for two in their next outing with a 5-1 trouncing of Fusion FC of Richmond, BC.
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The Winnipeggers carried that momentum into the weekend, picking up their first clean sheet of the tourney by blanking FC Regina Bluestars 4-0 in an all prairie matchup on Saturday to clinch a berth in the final. And there was no letdown in their final round robin game as 1v1 doubled St. John’s FC 4-2 on Sunday.
“Being able to never compromise our style of play, or betray our philosophy,” was what Romero credited as the determining factor in his players performing as well as they did over the course of the tournament. “Each player contributed to the success of the team.”
In capturing the title, Winnipeg 1v1 became just the eighth Manitoba team to win a Canadian Championship, and the first since the Bonivital SC U17 Boys in 2017 at Fredricton, NB.
Romero, who is also the Technical Director of 1v1 Futbol Dreams Academy in Winnipeg, is looking at this championship title as a springboard to more provincial success in the future, especially for female soccer players.
“It is my hope this achievement will inspire young girls to keep playing and enjoy the beautiful game of soccer,” said the former Manitoba Provincial teamer whose soccer journey also included stops in Spain and Chile. “I believe Manitoba players should be getting national attention now that we have put the province on the map. We couldn’t have done this without the support of our 1v1 families.”