North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By John Smithson
The 33rd annual edition of the Michael Nash Soccer Tournament got underway last Friday evening and the North Myrtle Beach High School varsity teams both won their first matches. The Chiefs boys won 2-1 to move to Saturday play and the Lady Chiefs won their first match 7-1 over Georgetown.
The Lady Chiefs lost their second match to Camden on Saturday morning by a 6-2 score. Lady Chiefs players who scored in the Georgetown match included: Madison Thompson-2 goals, Macy Lockard-1 goal, Madison Long-2 goals, Robyn Walsh-1 goal, Raphaella Nunes-1 goal. Robyn and Ravyn Walsh each had an assist and Keeper Nayeli Carpio had three saves in the Georgetown match.
Macy Lockard scored the first goal in the match against Camden and Chloe Schmidt scored a second half goal.
Lady Chiefs Kelsey Winkler commented on the tournament and some of the unusual occurrences over the two day event.
“This past weekend’s 33rd annual Michael Nash Memorial Tournament proved to be both exciting and challenging for our high school soccer players. Despite unpredictable circumstances, the tournament showcased strong competition, resilience and the true spirit of the game.
Both Chiefs teams opened the event with impressive performances, earning strong wins to begin the weekend on a high note. Friday evening presented an unexpected obstacle when a breaker was tripped during the girls matches, resulting in a 25-minute delay. Thanks to the patience and cooperation of players, coaches, officials, and fans, play was able to resume safely for some teams and other teams were called at the half.
Saturday began smoothly before weather became a factor, as rain and lightning forced the cancellation of the second half of the girls games and delayed the boys schedule while teams evaluated whether they wished to continue play. Ultimately, the boys programs from North Myrtle Beach High School, Carolina Forest High School, and St. James High School agreed to compete in a modified format, each playing 30-minute matches to ensure athletes still gained valuable minutes on the field.
While the weather created more challenges than we would have liked, the weekend was ultimately a success. Most importantly, the tournament raised funds that will allow us to continue our mission of providing scholarships to graduating seniors as they pursue their college goals. Any opportunity to give our student-athletes meaningful playing time and memorable experiences is a win for our program.
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to our fans, community members, North Myrtle Beach Parks and Recreation, volunteers, traveling boys and girls teams, sponsors and everyone who helped make the weekend a positive experience despite the hiccups along the way,” said Kelsey Winkler, North Myrtle Beach High School Girls Varsity Soccer Coach. “We are grateful for the continued support and look forward to an exciting season ahead.”
