When asked what the most fun part of the tournament is, GPS South Coast U18 players Tori Shields and Erin Daniel replied, “Winning, it’s fun to win.” That’s exactly what they did on Monday when they won their division in penalty kicks to take home the trophy.

They didn’t get to the finals by accident though. Both girls said their team improved a lot over the course of the season and throughout the weekend as well. “We’ve all grown a lot as a team, which is good,” Daniel said. “We’ve developed more skills.” They were also happy to see so many college coaches watching their games. Shields said, “It’s definitely good to see coaches actually coming out and looking at the teams.”

The Fortis FC U19 team said it was a learning experience for them because it was their first time playing alongside many of their teammates. They were able to gel with their new teammates enough to reach the finals, where they were defeated by the FC Stars. “From the first game to now we’ve definitely improved a lot at reading each other’s plays,” they said.

U19 Bayside FC player Georgia Teixeira, who will be playing at Southern Connecticut State University in the Fall, preached the importance of showcase events like the Memorial Day Tournament. “We’ve always been in the top brackets so that’s good for competition and good for college coaches to watch,” she said. Although she’s committed to college already, she’s still looking to make improvements and said her focus for this particular event was on improving her communication on the field.

For more recaps and information from the 2018 GPS Memorial Day Tournament click HERE!