The Copa Nosotras tournament began with a promising start on Saturday, April 13th, at the Indesa Sur and Indesa Norte courts. Out of the 16 schools participating, the TCS girls’ soccer team secured a 6-0 victory against Montessori.
With two players absent, including the team captain Mariana Mesa, the TCS team found themselves with 10 players and no substitutes available at the beginning of the match. However, this setback didn’t hinder their performance; instead, they took the challenge head-on, ultimately dominating the game.
“There was tension and lots of excitement since it was the first match of this season and the last match before the CISA tournament,” Manuela Harry, 9th grade, said.
A key player in the game was Manuela Harry, who scored four goals. Following closely behind were Emiliana Isaza and Maria Navarro, each contributing one goal to the team’s success.
“I scored my first goal two minutes in with a pass from Manuela Villa. Then, Emiliana Isaza assisted my next two goals with great centers, one of which I headed in. Finally, Isabel Mejia from the defense passed the ball to me for the last goal,” Harry said.
The match provided valuable feedback and practice for the upcoming CISA International Tournament, scheduled to begin the following week on April 17th. It allowed the team to identify areas for improvement and recognize their strengths.
“Overall, I think we played very well. However, I feel like we need to practice making better passes and be more mindful of offsides. We missed out on several goal-scoring opportunities during the game because of offsides,” remarked Manuela Villa, the central midfielder.
The stakes are tight, as the previous champions; they now face the challenge of maintaining their high standards throughout the tournament.
Additionally, this marks the final year of Copa Nosotras with Hernan Arango (Chapo) as their coach. After more than 15 years as the girls’ soccer coach, having overseen more than 10 Copa Nosotras tournaments during his tenure, he will be retiring this year.
“Securing the win last time around inspires me to keep doing my best to maintain our position. The fact that this is Chapo’s final year with us adds an extra layer of motivation, as we want to rack up as many victories as possible before he retires,” Villa said.
Looking ahead, TCS finds itself in the group phase alongside Montessori, Marymount, and Diego Echavarria schools. On Saturday, April 20th, they will face off against Marymount, their most evenly matched rival.
“We are looking forward to the game against Marymount because it’s a rival we have been in finals with in many tournaments, and it’s a rival that knows how we play, so it will make for a challenging game,” Harry said.