Anyone who says that little girls are made of "sugar and spice and everything nice" has never met the little girls on the Arvada Edge U9 Fury soccer team. These little girls are about effort, determination, and everything that hard work, skill, and sportsmanship can bring.
The Colorado Youth Soccer (CYS) Cup tournament, held the weekend of October 3-4, 2009 at Gates Soccer Complex, saw the best girls' developmental teams in the state converge to determine eventual state champions. In the U9 girls division, the first round of play saw the Edge Fury, guided by coach Nicole Annest and assistant coach Michelle VanSickle, dominate play against a solid, quick Colorado Storm team. The Fury went out ahead on a goal by Marianna Annest and increased its lead to end the game at 2-0 with a score from Nicolette Sandoval. Fury goalkeeper Jaycie Hyde cemented the victory and completed her first State Cup shutout by saving two penalty kicks early in the game.
In the second game of the first round, the Fury met great competition in Colorado Real. Annest scored early in the first half to go up 1-0, however Real came back to tie the score early in the second half. Annest added another talley to bring the Fury up to a 2-1 lead, however with only minutes left, Real tied the score at 2-2 to end the game. Solid defense anchored by Samantha VanSickle and Joli Reeves allowed the Fury to stand firm against an offensive onslaught from Real at the closing minutes of the game.
The last game of the first round saw Edge Fury face yet another strong Colorado Storm team. Strong play from Sara Dmytriw, Cecilia Leoni, and Emily Williams gave the Fury depth and allowed the team to move to a 3-1 victory over the Storm.
The Fury ended the tournament in the Colorado Youth Soccer Cup state finals, against a well-coached Pride team from Colorado Springs. Though a win would mean the state championship, the Edge Fury faced a weakened roster entering into the championship game, with defensive standout Chloe Patterson sidelined with a flu-like illness. Other members of the team also struggled with illness over the course of the weekend. Despite the weakened roster, the Fury played with poise and skill in the final game against the Pride team. Despite dominating the first half of play, the Fury could not find the back of the net in their many offensive opportunities. However the Fury was finally able to convert late in the first half. A perfectly-played break-away goal by Macey Clark capped off the first half of Fury dominance in the finals, putting the Fury up 1-0 over Pride going into the second half.
The Pride would not go down easily. Pride started the second half with their first shots on goal, placing tremendous offensive pressure on the Fury. However solid, smart defense by Makenna Fowler, Sam VanSickle, and Joli Reeves; as well as a remarkable diving save by goalkeeper Jaycie Hyde in the second half sealed the shut-out win for the Fury. The Fury ended the game with a 1-0 win and the Silver U9 Girls CYS Cup Championship!