- November 28, 2024
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In the team's first tournament, the Ormond Beach Breakers won the 2013 Phoenix Recreational Cup, with a four-game combined score of 15-4.
BY MATT MENCARINI | SPORTS EDITOR
There was rain. There was a player in a soft cast. There were four wins. And it all ended with a championship.
The Ormond Beach Breakers, a U12 recreation league team, traveled to Palm Bay and won the 2013 Phoenix Recreational Cup, in the event’s first year.
But taking his team to the Brevard County tournament wasn’t something coach Jason Arnold had always planned on.
As the Ormond Beach rec league season moved closer to ending, he said he felt he had a special group and wanted to keep them playing. It wasn’t their skill, though, that made this group unique to Arnold, who spent several years with the Ormond Beach Wave competitive soccer program; it was their attitude.
“They always look to pass and they always play with great sportsmanship,” he said. “I wanted to do something for them and the season was coming to an end.”
So he started looking for tournaments and found the Phoenix Recreational Cup, which is for recreational teams only. His players and the parents quickly jumped at the chance to keep the season going.
“We needed to do something special for this group of girls and parents,” Arnold said. “(The parents) were great all the way through. ... They were nothing but supportive.”
The Breakers’ first game in the tournament was May 18, and Arnold told his team they needed to prepare for something new. This wouldn’t be an in-house rec league tournament.
During the first few minutes of the first game, Arnold said his team was feeling out their opponent and settling into the new type of game. But soon they adjusted, and Arnold said they played the majority of their game in the opponent's zone. The 2-1 win was the Breakers' first of four victories.
They won their next two games by a combined 10-1 score, setting up a championship game against the Melbourne Tsunami.
Just eight minutes into the game, Arnold said the rain started and forced a stoppage that would go on for more than 30 minutes, causing him to worry that his players might lose their edge.
“The girls were giggling, laughing and carrying on,” he said. “It was the good ole days of soccer. Competitive soccer can take the fun out of it, but this team had a feel of fun.”
That’s what made the team special, he said, their constant positive attitude. That they were on a winning streak, and looked to finish off their first tournament with a win, didn't exactly hurt, either.
“It kept going back and forth,” Arnold said of the championship game. “We went up 1-0, they tied it. We went up 2-1, they tied it. We hit the third goal with about four minutes left in the game.”
Gabrielle Johnston gave the Breakers the goal they needed to knock off the Tsunami and secure the first U12 Phoenix Cup.
“The girls loved it, the whole experience,” Arnold said. “I think even if we would have taken second, it would have been good. But (the championship) was the cherry on top.”
Meet the Breakers
#
Name
11
Hannah Arnold
68
Katherine Brick
4
Madelyn Bronson
9
Alihya Hahn
71
Grace Hawryluk
14
Gabrielle Johnston
2
Summer Klein
5
Brianna McLoughlin
32
Katrina Russell
13
Nara Solis
1
Madison Tse
Road to the championship
Date
Opponent
Score
May 18
Barley, SBFC
2-1
May 18
Rockledge Steelers
6-0
May 19
Walden, SBFC
4-1
May 20
Melbourne Tsunami
3-2
