Three young Mount Gambier soccer stars competed in Adelaide recently as part of the state identification program tournament.
The Under 13/14 tournament held at the ServiceFM Stadium at Gepps Cross consisted of five games played across the weekend.
Emmy Jeffery and Saskia Brogan who play in the Limestone Coast Junior Premier League for Gambier Centrals joined with International’s Ashlyn Cornolo to take part.
Jeffery, Brogan and Cornolo are in the part time squad for the South Australian state side, with the tournament giving South Australian coaches a chance to get eyes on talent who can then participate in a trial to become a full time state squad member.
The side won three out of the five games it played during the tournament, with every game being a tight contest.
Each of the girls performed well over the three days in the tough hot conditions, impressing the state coaches.
Jeffery and Brogan will not seek selected in the full time squad as it will require training three nights a week in Adelaide.
Cornolo was excellent in the midfield during the weekend, while Jeffery and Brogan played in the attack sharing roles of the striker and on the wing.
The weekend offered a good standard of competition for the local girls and the team gelled well, proving very competitive against some talented players.
Tough playing conditions against girls as old as 15 offered the local girls a good experience against highly skilled players.
The tournament was the final SIP event of the year and the full time squad for the state team will now have a try-out with 18 places available on the team.
Jeffery will look to return to playing for Fulham United next year in the South Australian state league, Cornolo will not if she is selected in the full time squad
Jeffery and Cornolo’s season at Fulham ended with the side finishing second losing only by two points, with the same amount of wins as Adelaide University.
Brogan and Jeffery claimed two premierships locally in the Limestone Coast Junior Premier League, with their side Gambier Centrals beating Cornolo’s side 5-2 in the Under 13s, as well as claiming the Under 16 premiership.
Jeffery finished the match with a hat-trick, and Cornolo finished with a brace in a standout performance in a losing side.
