The Columbia United 97 Girls Blue had a great weekend December 1-2 at the GSA Academy Invitational, winning the U10 Girls Flight IV. The girls played strongly all weekend, and the results showed it: a 1-1 draw with GA’s Concorde Fire White, a 2-0 defeat of GA’s Coweta Cannons, and a 3-0 Semi-Finals defeat over Atlanta’s Tophat 16 Silver. The championship game was another tense one as Allie Crossland’s early goal was equalized in the second half, resulting in penalty kicks. The girls scored on 4 out of 5 penalty shots, and goalkeeper Charlotte Dover made two excellent saves that guaranteed the championship. It was the perfect close to a great season. Way to go girls!

The Columbia United 98 Boys Red also came home as champions of the GSA Academy Invitational.  They won the U9 Boys Flight with 3 wins and one loss in the tournament.  The boys played the AFC Lightning earlier in the day and lost 1-5, then came back and played them again in the afternoon in the finals.  The game was a hard fought battle, with a 2-2 tie at the end of the game and in overtime, but the 98 Boys Red prevailed and we won in PK’s with a score of 3-2.  This was the team’s first tournament other than Carolina Cup and the future is bright for these boys!