Nathan Lambert  |  K-12 Sport Co-ordinator

Last week I mentioned about the many amazing moments of the Tokyo Olympic Games. These were not just outstanding in what people can accomplish if they put their mind to it, but also was an inspiration to all of us in how they achieved greatness by their efforts and perseverance.

What memories, what moments, what amazing stories from our own school history can inspire us?

Let’s have a look at our first one.

The year was 2019 ... 

The Primary Senior Girls Soccer team was made up of students in Years 5 and 6. These girls, who just love their sport, especially soccer, were always excited to be representing their school.

They’d competed in a number of competitions that year, winning several Futsal Tournaments and even qualifying for State Futsal.

The big one that they wanted to compete in was the Mariner’s Cup. This tournament had two stages:

1. Compete at Mariner’s Cup Regional Tournament
2. Winner of Regionals compete in the Final at Central Coast Stadium

Our girls worked hard, trained hard, played hard in all of their other tournaments, preparing them for their first step ... Regionals.

They started strong, winning their first game 4-0 and then their second 10-0.  They continued this trend of good passing and accurate shooting, winning their next two games 6-0 and 7-0 respectively.

They qualified for the Final which was against Avoca Beach. It was a tough game, with both teams defending strongly and also providing a number of scoring opportunities. At the end of full time, the scores were locked at 0-0, meaning Golden Goal. Our girls focused, rallied, worked together and Mina slotted in the perfect goal.

We had won Regionals and now had qualified for the big one ... the one they wanted ... the Mariner’s Cup!

This would be played against Lake Munmorah. It was definitely going to be one intense game, especially in front of a supporting crowd at Central Coast Stadium.

The girls knew what they had to do and after some strategy and time to reflect on their jobs, it was game on!!

From the start of the match, our girls took control, pressuring their defence with quick passing and shooting. Lake Munmorah also created their own chances, only to be smothered by our solid defence.

Before the half time whistle, a chance was taken and Mina, the winning scorer from Regionals, kicked it beautifully into the back of the net.

1-0 ...

We scored again, this time with Sophee slotting in the perfect goal off her left foot strike.

2-0 ...

After half time, our girls wanted to keep the pressure on. They continued to pepper the goal with crosses, shots, passing, anything that continued to keep the ball in their opposition’s half.

Lake Munmorah needed goals and tried to score a couple, but our goalie Olivia was too good, denying them a chance to get back into the game.

With hardly any time left on the clock, our girls rose, their intensity got stronger, as they wanted this win. They wanted to take out this competition.

When the final siren went, we had done it! Our girls had just won the Mariners' Cup Grand Final 2-0! Through sheer determination and team work, our girls had played their best game of the year, providing one of the most memorable soccer victories in our Primary School history.

Not only did they finish as Champions, they also went through the entire Mariners' Cup Competition with one goal scored against them. This really reflects this intensity on the field, their ability to work as a team and attack, and their skills to defend their goal no matter what.

What a memory! What a team!

Not only was it a success for this team, but more importantly, just an example of determination, perseverance and teamwork.