The James I. O’Neill Raiders entered the Second Annual Jimmy Ranieri Tournament on a roll, and they exited the tournament the same way, winning two games and winning the championship with a 7-1 win over the Highland Huskies on Saturday at James I. O’Neill High School.

“This means so much,” said Jael-Marie Guy, who led the Raiders with four goals. “Soccer is a big part of our lives, and a lot of us play club. This is the first season of high school (for a lot of us), so it’s a way to make friends with everyone, and all of us get close. To be able to play in a tournament and win together as a team is so special, and it’s a memory we won’t forget.”

Guy scored the Raiders’ first four goals in a five-goal first half. She also was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

“She gives 110 percent,” O’Neill coach Kristin Leska said. “She’s a great leader. She has the grit, and she does exactly what’s being asked of her.”

Guy’s fourth goal wasn’t intended as a goal, as she sent what was planned to be a crossing pass, but the ball bounced off the right goal post, and into the net, giving the Raiders a 4-0 lead with 16:24 left in the first half.

The next goal was placed, much more perfectly as the Raiders’ Kaelyn Mitroka sent a crossing pass in from the left, and Rose Bentley redirected the shot into the goal, giving the Raiders a 5-0 lead.

“I think our team chemistry is out of this world,” Guy said. “We fight together. We win together. We lose together. Even if we mess up, we’re always supporting each other until the very end.”

After the Raiders’ Saedi Post widened the gap to 6-0, the Huskies did something no one has done since Sept. 7. Sophie Valentino scored a goal to cut the lead to 6-1. It was the first goal the Raiders had given up since their 3-0 loss to Sauquoit Valley.

Since then, O’Neill goalkeeper C.J. Conkey posted four straight clean sheets.

Valentino was the Huskies’ representative on the all-tournament team.

Emery Deekens scored the Raiders’ seventh goal with 15:15 remaining in the game.
It was their second year hosting the Jimmy Ranieri Memorial Tournament. Ranieri graduated from O’Neill in 1992 and died on March 13, 2021, from pancreatic cancer.

“He was a wonderful member of our community,” Leska said. “It’s priceless. It’s bringing everyone together and honoring someone who was so special to all.”

The Raiders opened the tournament with a 6-0 win over the Chester Hambletonians.

Guy scored three goals. Mitroka, Maddie Zdeb and Kiersten Barge had one each. Barge, Mitroka and Guy had an assist each Conkey had two saves.

Steph Clark made 30 saves for Chester.
Guy had three goals as the Raiders opened the week on Sept. 17 with a 7-0 win over Liberty.

Shylah Guy added two goals, while Mitroka and Kim Alvarracin each had a goal. Olivia Moran, Barge and Dabkowski each had an assist. Hailey Hall made three saves.
Jenifer Panamo made five saves.

“I feel very good about them,” Leska said. “I feel like there’s always room to grow, and that’s exactly what we work on. We continue to work on the things that we do well, but we continue to work even more on the things that we need to strengthen. It’s all about growing, so hopefully that will help us with our challenges toward the end of the season.”