Scarborough Ladies FC Lionesses Under-15s crowned champions at York RI Tournament

Led by manager Steve Coles and coaches Ryan Musson, Amie Templeman and Jim Marcou, the Lionesses produced an impressive display throughout the day against a strong field of 10 teams in front of a large crowd.

The Lionesses’ success was built on a solid defensive foundation, with Thea McLean, Zena White and Layla Horne proving difficult to break down. Behind them, goalkeeper Catalina Sanduta delivered a series of outstanding saves to keep opponents at bay and maintain the team’s perfect defensive record.

In midfield, Layla Pashby, Alicia Leake, Issy Templeman and Scarlett Coles produced some breath-taking attacking football as the Lionesses topped their group, scoring four goals without conceding.

The semi-final saw Scarborough face a strong Pocklington Town side.

The Lionesses remained composed, building play from the back, while Sanduta made a brilliant close-range save from a free-kick to keep the scores level.

The breakthrough eventually came when Scarlett Coles burst clear of the defence and calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to send her side into the final.

A tense final against hosts York RI followed, with the Lionesses forced to withstand heavy pressure during the first half thanks to some determined defending.

In the second half, however, the deadlock was finally broken when Scarlett Coles scored her sixth goal of the tournament from an almost impossible angle.

At the final whistle, the Lionesses were crowned tournament champions after winning five matches, drawing one, and remarkably keeping a clean sheet throughout the competition.