Two victories in football

On Tuesday 31st May, IIL travelled to St Legier, Vevey to take part in the SGIS Cat.F football competition organised by St.George’s International School . There were two separate tournaments, one for boys and one for girls. 

IIL had two teams competing in the boys competition and 1 team in the girls competition.

Boys IIL 1 

IIL 1 began their group matches against Geneva English School 2nd team and got off to a flying start with a well deserved 2-0 victory. They continued their great start with a comfortable 3-0 win over La Châtaigneraie 2nd team.

The boys were full of confidence and happy to have six points already on the board. IIL were paired against St.George’s 2nd team in their 3rd group game and it proved to be a joy to watch as the boys played some fantastic football, scoring some well worked team goals eventually leading them to a 4-0 victory.

The 4th match proved to be a tough test for the boys as they squared up against the International School of Lausanne 1st team. Chances were few and far between for both teams as they cancelled each other out in a hard fought match. The match ended 0-0 as IIL could not break down ISL’s tough defence.

The result did not knock the boys confidence as they looked towards their next match and get back to winning ways. The boys 5th match was against La Cote International School and started brightly with an early goal. IIL continued to search for a 2nd goal, pressing high and closing the opposition down. Their hard work was rewarded as IIL were able to add a second goal and seal victory once more.

With 13 points and one game remaining IIL had already qualified for the semi finals due to points difference, but 1st place in the group was still undecided.

The boys were determined to push for a final victory that would all but seal 1st in the group.

The boys came up against GEMS academy in their last match and blew the opposition away with a resounding 3-0 victory. This meant that IIL would play against 2nd place in the other group and it turned out to be a familiar competitive rival in the form of La Châtaigneraie 1st team.

The boys were fired up and ready to challenge in every position. IIL prevailed overall with a battling 2-0 victory that would set them up for the final.

Once again, for the 3rd time this year IIL boys were set to face Geneva English school 1st team. On the two previous occasions, IIL were on the losing side and so they saw this as an opportunity to finally defeat and overcome GES.

The match was tense and physical encounter with both sides cancelling each other out. The one and only chance of the match fell to Gyorki from 9e and he took full advantage as he cleverly rounded the last defender and finished with a spectacular effort to the right of the goalkeeper. The boys could not hide their delight and celebrated wildly. IIL continued to hold their nerve and successfully defend every GES advance holding on to their narrow 1-0 lead.

As the final whistle blew, the boys fell to the ground in exhaustion and euphoria as they were crowned SGIS Cat.F Champions!  Well done boys

Boys IIL 2

IIL 2 were a team featuring some young players from Year 3. Even though the tournament was for year 4 boys it was thought that this would be a good opportunity for them to experience a full day of football and stand them in good stead for next year’s competitions.

The boys began their group stage brightly with a well deserved 2-0 victory over La Châtaigneraie 3rd team. A good start!

However, the boys came up against Geneva English School 1st team in their second match and it proved to be a difficult match against a very good side. IIL unfortunately came out 5-0 losers but this was still not enough to dampen the boys spirits.

Their third match proved to be just as difficult as they were paired against La Châtaigneraie 1st team which resulted in yet another defeat. 1 victory out of 3 was still good going for an inexperienced side.

The boys aimed to put a stop to their consecutive defeats and put up a big performance against Haut-Lac. They fought hard and played some lovely football at times but could not find a second goal for a victory. The match ended in a 1-1 draw but the boys were happy with the result and performance.

For their 5th group match the boys played Nations and again the final result was a draw.

IIL were matched with St.George’s 1st team and once more the opposition proved to be too strong for our young team, eventually losing 3-1.

5 points was still a fantastic feat considering it was some of the boys first time representing the school.

IIL had to play a final match to determine where they would finish in the final placing. IIL were paired against GES 2nd team.

The boys were determined to finish the competition in style and were outstanding in their last match, running away with a 3-0 victory.

The boys finished 11th out of 14t overall and it was a fantastic effort for such a young team. Well done boys.

IIL Girls

IIL girls were matched against La Châtaigneraie girls in their first group match. The girls started the game brightly scoring first against a very good opposition. La Châtaigneraie fought back and managed to find an equaliser and the game drew to a close at 1-1.
The girls grew as the tournament went on and put in a fantastic experience against their next opponents, Nations. The girls were on fire as the attacked the Nations goal with determination eventually winning 5-0.

With four points on the board, confidence was running high as the girls prepared for their next opponents. The next match was against Geneva English School in an extremely close encounter with little difference in both sides. IIL managed to squeeze an effort into the GES goal and stood strong until the final whistle, winning once again.

The girls from IIL were too strong for their next opponents again running out 5-0 victors over the International school of Lausanne.

With one game to go the girls were in a great position to qualify for the semi-finals.

They continued their blistering form into their final group game against Haut-Lac. Carolina was unstoppable as she scored 5 goals against her opposition.

The girls finished top of the group and were once again placed against their former opponents Haut-Lac. The game was a lot closer this time round and IIL took a while before they could break the deadlock. After scoring the first goal, the girls were full of confidence and went on to add a further two goals and eventually won the match 3-1. They were ecstatic at the final whistle as all their hard work had paid off and they were able to compete in the final.

In the final IIL came up against La Châtaigneraie girls, a team who had previously been able to stop them in their tracks. The girls mustered up all the energy the had left and put in a performance that had Mr.Clark extremely proud. The girls were able to overcome their rivals and win 2-0 meaning that they were also crowned SGIS Cat. F champions.  Superb! Well done.

Contact

m.clark[at]iil.ch