U15 Strikers Girls dominate in Kitchener and Guelph, fall short in London tournament

After their Graham Bunting Classic win, there was no rest for the Stratford U15 Strikers Girls as they resumed their Southwest District Soccer League regular season play, as they travelled to Kitchener for their matchup with the FFTW Academy on June 8.

Led by the hat trick from team captain Peyton Ward, Stratford pounced on FFTW Academy 8-2. Elena Hogger, Payton Herman, Peyton Van Straaten, Reese Campbell and Kinsley McIntosh also scored for Stratford in the rout.

With the win, the Strikers are tied with the Guelph Jr. Gryphons with a 4-0 record, but in first place in goal differential of +16 compared to Guelph’s +14.

From June 12-14, the Strikers participated in the Shine The Light Tournament, hosted by the London Whitecaps. Playing in Pool A with Port Colborne, Guelph, Goderich and London, the Strikers shut out the Gryphons 1-0 on June 12.

On June 13, Stratford beat the tournament host Whitecaps 3-1, but on the final round-robin matchup on the morning of June 14, the Strikers settled on a 1-1 draw with Port Colborne, and finished with a record with a 2-0-1 record and five points, second place and one point behind the 3-0-0 Caboto Lightning.

In the tournament semi-final, the Strikers dropped their first result in the season with a 4-1 loss to the London Alliance FC Mustangs.

On June 15, Stratford travelled to Guelph for a key match against the Gryphons. With Herman leading the way, the Strikers secured a 6-1 victory, taking sole possession of first place in the SWDSL U15 League. They now lead Guelph and Waterloo by three points.

Next, the Strikers will host Rockwood FC on June 22 at Cowan Field in Festival Hydro Park. The game kicks off at 7 p.m.