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Athletes hit the field in Scotland
Fort Simpson soccer players compete in the International Children's Games

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, September 1, 2011

LANARKSHIRE, SCOTLAND
Four Fort Simpson athletes have can now boast they've played soccer at an international event.

Cydney Nahanni-Kwasney, Janelle Bruneau, Golia Cazon and Madison Pilling competed in the International Children's Games in Lanarkshire, Scotland, from Aug. 3 to 8. Morgan Lirette of Grande Prairie, Alta., Ashley Pilling of Thompson, Man., and Tessa Park of Whitehorse rounded out the team.

The athletes, playing under the team name Fort Simpson, played four games. Although they didn't win any of them, the team improved with every game, said coach Val Gendron.

During their first foray onto the outdoor pitch, Fort Simpson met Hamilton, Ont. The highlight of the game was the team's goalie, Nahanni-Kwasney.

"Cydney made some phenomenal saves," said Gendron.

Up next was the hometown team of Lanarkshire.

"They were a bit tougher than the Hamilton team," Gendron said.

The Lanarkshire team had good passing skills, and while under pressure they still protected the ball. Against them, the Fort Simpson team improved their defending, she said.

The Fort Simpson team really started to come together in their third game against Marion, Ind.

"We really went out strong," said Gendron.

The team managed to shut down all goal attempts against them for approximately the first seven minutes of the game. The team created more scoring opportunities although they weren't able to capitalize on them, she said.

Fort Simpson's first goals came in their fourth and final game when they played Seoul, South Korea. Ashley scored two goals while Cazon and Bruneau both got one and Madison scored four. Seoul won the game 11-8.

The Seoul team was respectful and played at the girls' level while conserving energy for the finals they competed in later in the day, said Gendron.

Although the team didn't win any games, the members identified some positive experiences that had come out of the trip.

They felt they had come together as a team and worked hard and they realized they have to work on a lot of their skills and their fitness levels, said Gendron.

Competing in the games was the primary purpose of the trip but participants, including four chaperones, also took the opportunity to do some sightseeing before the competition. The group spent three days in London, England, where they visited a number of sites including Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace.

They also spent a few days visiting some cities and towns in Scotland including Glasgow, Oban and Edinburgh.

"It was good to get them out to see the world," said Gendron.

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