The tournament wrapped up with the most exciting and even games of the event on the last day!  Congratulations to West Region girls for winning the championship and to Saprissa for their second place finish.  Great competition as always for the 12 edition of this competitive international event.  See you next year!

East Region vs. DIMAS

The final day of the tournament began with East Region against DIMAS at Nicolas Macis Stadium. The match was very touch-and-go until Maria Fernanda Figueroa (DIMAS, #12) converted an opportunity after a good pass from Cristel Sandi.

After some well-organized passing, Brina Micheels (#10) equalized for East Region after a great pass from Chloe DeLyser (#7). East Region had total control of the midfield and this helped generate more chances.

After a mistake from DIMAS’s goalkeeper Celina Arteaga, East Region took a 2-1 lead. Both teams kept pushing hard to gain ground and they both showed nice attacking maneuvers and good and strong pressing. Later, Cristel Sandi (DIMAS #23) tied the game with a left footed strike.

The teams traded goals again and the match finished 3-3.

South Region vs. Saprissa

At the same time East Region was playing against DIMAS, South Region competed against Saprissa at Ernesto Rohrmoser Stadium. The match was extremely tough and both teams were fighting to gain ball possession from the opening whistle. The referee had to raise his voice and talk to the players several times in order to calm them down since both teams were pushing hard and committing some fouls.

The best on-target option for Saprissa was between forwards Fabiola Villalobos (#14) and Sofia Varela (#20), but in the end, Varela was tackled by a very smart South Region defender and she was not able to score.

Saprissa scored the first goal of the match via Karla Villalobos with a classy touch after a very nice cross. After the goal, and for the rest of the first half, Saprissa took control of the match and the game was played in South Region’s half.

In the second half, South Region equalized after Jolie Baltzegar (#8) took advantage of a bad decision from center defender Marianne Ugalde (Saprissa #3) and scored on goal after winning a one-on-one chance against Saprissa’s goalkeeper. Later, Baltzegar scored her second after getting a great pass from the middle and then dribbling around the goalie.

Even though South Region was doing a great job, a penalty kick was awarded and Fabiola Villalobos tied the game 2-2 and both teams earned a point.

West Region vs. Moravia

The final match of the tournament was between West Region and Moravia. Due to the result of the previous games, the winner of this match would win the tournament and after an intense and even game, the West Region was declared the ODP Girls 2018 Tournament Champion after winning 2-0.

The game was extremely competitive until an auto- goal by Moravia off a corner kick. After this error, Moravia tried to move forward and score a goal, but the West Region was too strong defensively.

In the second half, both teams came out aggressively. West Region was definitely motivated and they never stopped running. Moravia on the other hand, seemed slightly disheartened even though they were only down by one goal.

Madison Liebman played a great match and assisted on the second goal for West Region. The physical strength of the West Region girls is amazing and they kept shooting until the very last minute of the match.

The game ended 2-0 and West Region was declared the CHAMPION! Bernal Castillo, Head Coach of Moravia, said: “Even though this team is a very young one, it clearly shows the great job that Coach Chastain has done. We truly appreciate that you girls are here because this helps us improve the quality of female soccer in Costa Rica.” Chastain mentioned, “We want to thank the coach and staff for presenting us with a wonderful challenge today and a great game, tonight we got a lesson in football and we are very grateful for your skill and sophistication. I hope the game tonight will be a lesson for my players to take home.”

Congratulations West Region!