WAUCHOPE High School student Georgia Williams has returned home from a tour victory in Brazil with the Australian U/16 Schoolgirls Futsal Team.
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This is the first time that an Australian team has beaten Brazil in any overseas tour since the "GOL Brasil Futsal Tour" started several years ago.
The team comprising of players from NSW and Queensland came together for the first time to play since they competed against each other at the Australian Schools National Championships in September 2013.
Williams was one of five Australian "All Star" players selected in the team of eight girls on tour. The three week tour commenced on August 3. Whilst on tour the Australian girls trained, played tournament and friendly matches, had fun, and went sightseeing and shopping in Teresopolis, Belo Horizonte, and Rio De Janiro.
The team went into lock down in the mountains at Teresopolis and trained and played friendly games for the first three days with Brazilian coaches at the GOL Brasil Clube Comary Futsal Academy.
The team then travelled to Belo Horizonte and trained at Clube Recreativo Mineiro which became their base for the next 10 days. They first met the Brazilian side in game one of the tournament and came away resounding winners 5-2 against a professional side that plays Futsal 24/7.
The ability of the Australian players, and the skills and structure developed during training had paid off big time for the Aussies. The second game clearly established that the Brazilian's were out to avenge their shock defeat in the first tournament match.
The Aussies structured their play well and with Williams leading and controlling the plays from the back, built defence into counter attack and turned a 1-1 score at half time into a 3-1 win. Brazil were in shock as they were a strong and a very well drilled unit, and this team were not used to having their structure broken down and being on the end of defeat.
The Aussies were going from strength to strength in playing capacity, but were a side that were also suffering a lot of injuries. Williams was getting used to ice baths by now and was treating a painful inner thigh muscle injury.
Another of the girls was out of play on crutches with a severe ankle injury. Others were very bruised and battered but extremely high in spirts.
In the third game, the Australia side took early control with a great counter defence goal from Williams.
The Brazilian girls were big, strong and fast, but our girls matched them in every aspect. With only 5 minutes to go the score was locked up at 3-3. Our girls never stopped, with defence like a brick wall and outstanding plays we were able to produce an awesome counter play and put the ball in the back of the net with less than three minutes of play remaining.
The Brazilian girls threw everything that they had at us, but our Aussie girls stood strong finishing the game 4-3 and tournament champions.
The Australian Futsal Association now proudly has a trophy in its Queensland head office proving that we can match the best in the world and beat them at their own game.
Williams has her eyes firmly on gaining a place in the Australian Futsal Youth Girls team, within the next two years.
The Wauchope Local thanked the Wauchope Lions Club Sports Foundation for helping sponsor her tour to Brazil this year.