Lady Suns Shine Through
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Saturday, June 7, 2014 - On the weekend the Suns welcomed their NorCal rivals, the San Francisco Iron Maidens and Golden Gate Roos, and for the first time the Los Angeles Dragons to participate in the Sacramento Showdown. It was an action-packed day with plenty of great footy and no doubt the highlight was the Lady Suns emphatic win over the Iron Maidens.
The Lady Suns and Iron Maidens have developed a fantastic rivalry since Amy Bishop and Helen Mondia first introduced women's footy into Northern California. Both teams have recruited well and developed quickly and it is fair to say the Iron Maidens have had the better of their battles. The Iron Maidens also made the women's division final at last year's USAFL National Tournament.
The women's game was played over four 15-minute quarters in hot conditions with 16-a-side. The Lady Suns have recruited well, have been training hard and the progress they have made surprised their opponents. The Lady Suns had the better of the first quarter but were not able to make the most of their opportunities. The only goal was kicked by Center-Half Forward Katie Klatt and the score at the first break was 1.3.9 to 0.2.2 to the Lady Suns.
The Lady Suns continued their dominance in the second quarter but again wayward kicking kept the Iron Maidens in the game. Eighteen year old Annie Mantzouranis started to find the ball and kicked her first goal as a Lady Sun. Annie was one of 13 players that played their first game for the Suns and their first full-sized game of footy. Carly Smolak kicked the Iron Maidens first goal and the score at the half was 2.4.16 to 1.2.8 to the Lady Suns.
The Lady Suns really turned it on in the premiership quarter, firstly keep their opponents scoreless due to fantastic defensive work by Suns veteran and USA Liberty members Helen Mondia and Tiffany Chen, along with Jessica Roesemann, Michelle Koegler, Chiara Adamo and Makenzie Seckora. This group really held things together down back. The midfield also continued their domination and really started to capitalize on their good work. Ruckman Kristi Kuhn was fantastic in her first game and she was well supported by USA Freedom midfielder Alexa Blatnick and USA Liberty midfielder Lauré Kwoka. New recruit Candy Peterson also started really strong in the middle but left the field due to a fractured wrist. We wish her well in her recovery and look forward to seeing her back out on the field soon.
The Lady Suns kicked a score of three goals and six behinds in the third quarter to take control of the game. Best afield Katie Klatt kicked another two goals and Alexa Blatnick kicked her first making a comeback very difficult for the Iron Maidens. The score at the final break was 5.10.40 to 1.2.8.
The final quarter was more even in the hot conditions with Katie kicking her fourth goal and Annie her second, while Carly kicked her second for the Iron Maidens. The final score was 7.10.52 to 2.3.15, by far the biggest win by the Lady Suns and well deserved for all the hard work they have put in.
The focus then shifted to the men's footy with the Suns, Roos and Dragon playing in a 3 game round robin format with games being played in two 20 minute halves. First up ware the hosts against NorCal rivals the Golden Gate Roos.
The intensity of the first game was something that had to be witnessed with both sides hard at the ball and not giving their opponents an inch with some very intense tackling. It must be highlighted that the Suns played both games with no Australians on the roster and nine debutants. They battled their hearts out but were totally outclassed by a Roos outfit that came prepared to play. The Roos kicked four first half goals and added another two in a more even second half, winning the game 6.6.42 to 0.3.3. USA Revolution members Bobby Sears (3 goals) and Bryan Dragus (2 goals) were impressive upfront benefiting from good delivery from their classy midfield.
In the second men's game of the day the Roos took on the LA Dragons in what turned out to be a very exciting game. The day was growing hotter by the minute and the Dragons were able to take advantage of their fresh legs early leading 2.2.14 to 0.2.2 at half time. The Dragons were able to kick another three goals in the second half and looked like they would upset the Roos, however to their credit the Roos did not give up and kicked five second-half goals. This included a late goal that gave them the a two-point lead, the final margin for the game. Golden Gate Roos 5.4.34, Los Angeles Dragons 5.2.32.
In the final game of the day the Suns played the Dragons. This is only the second time these two teams have played each other and the Dragons won a close one at the Western Region Tournament in 2013. This game was close as well with the Suns leading by five points at half time, 2.0.12 to 1.1.7. The Suns worked hard to maintain their lead however the Dragons were able to storm home and clinch the win by five points, 4.2.26 to 3.3.21.
The Sactown Showdown was a great success thanks to the many volunteers that assisted with field, goal and boundary umpiring, scoring, running water, taping, etc, and a special thanks to the national team squad members and other volunteers that provided food and refreshments for sale on the day. Finally a massive thank you to the Iron Maidens, the Roos and the Dragons for making the trip to Sacramento!
Photos
Game Summaries
Sacramento Lady Suns San Francisco Iron Maidens
Full Time 7.10.52 2.3.15
Goalkickers K. Klatt (4), R. Mantzouranis(2), A. Blatnick C. Smolak (2)
Umpires/Scorer M. Chen, S. Hensley A. Jacobs
Goals/Boundary S. Ceballos, T. Townsend Towe, Sanghera, Sears, Onyon
Sacramento Suns Golden Gate Roos
Full Time 0.3.3 6.6.42
Goalkickers R. Sears (3), B. Dragus (2), D. Livy
Umpires/Scorer A. Bishop, J. Bottrell K. Klatt
Goals/Boundary M. Bruce, T. Salmon J. Fischer, D. Paasch
Los Angeles Dragons Golden Gate Roos
Full Time 5.4.34 5.2.32
Goalkickers R. Hitch (3), S. Sweeney (2) B. Dragus (2), J. Yee
Umpires/Scorer J. Bylicki, W. McLaren, S. Tyebjee K. Klatt
Goals/Boundary S. Brown, M. Seckora, K. Kuhn M. O'Leary, J. Odbert
Sacramento Suns Los Angeles Dragons
Full Time 3.3.21 4.2.26
Goalkickers S. Tyebjee (2), S. Sanghera M. Hitch (3), R. Hitch
Umpires/Scorer B. Dragus, M. Lege
Goals/Boundary R. Sears, B. Anderson, S. Brown
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