Bum arm and all, Madeline Caywood stepped onto the field determined to slow down a powerful 11-and-under LASC Blue Lightning soccer club in the Kansas All-Girls Tournament at Youth Sports Inc.

The Kaw Valley Force defender roamed the field, slowing down any possible Blue Lightning scoring threats. Caywood also asserted herself as the vocal leader for her squad, directing and encouraging her teammates.

However, the Blue Lightning affirmed itself as a team to be reckoned with. The Blue Lightning combined effective passing and spacing to record a couple of early goals, winning 3-0.

Emilie L. of the Blue Lightning created space for teammate Madison J. with a clever cross-field pass. Madison capitalized on a one-on-one with Force goalkeeper Hannah Rupprecht and buried the game’s first goal.

Rupprecht stood strong all game against a relentless Blue Lightning offense – recording 15 saves on the day, several being point-blank attempts.

“Hannah was the player of the game for us. She made several big saves and did an excellent job of distributing the ball,” Force head coach Beth Keefe said.

Rupprecht made several spectacular saves in traffic. However, her best highlight came when three Blue Lightning forwards busted loose with no defenders in sight. Rupprecht, however, charged the ball and was able to snuff out the Blue Lightning threat.

After a shaky start, the Force made a few adjustments and shut out the Blue Lightning towards the end of the first and all through the second half. Force teammates Sunny Upshaw and Shelby Holmes teamed up to spearhead the Force’s attack.

Upshaw utilized her speed and shifty moves to put her Force teammates in scoring position, but the Lightning played solid defensively.

Hannah Rupprecht prepares for a goal kick Saturday against the Blue Lightning at Youth Sports Inc., but the Lightning were too much for the Force to handle, losing 3-0.

Holmes contributed frequently on the defense side, doing an excellent job of helping out the Force defenders while continuing to hold an offensive presence.

Upshaw sent a beautiful pass to a wide-open Holmes nearly 18 feet from the goal, but the Blue Lightning defense quickly engulfed Holmes and put an end to the Force’s best offensive threat.

The other significant scoring chance for the Force came off the lead foot of Malorie Thompson. Thompson, having spent all game clearing the ball from the Force’s zone, found herself alone with the ball also 18 feet outside the Lightning goal, but the Lightning goalie had just enough time to position herself for the big save.

Despite the loss, Keefe saidthe 0 Force did an excellent job of regrouping early on and controlling the tempo in the second half.

“Towards the end of the half, that was some of the best offense we’ve ever played,” Keefe said. “For a first-year team, we did a good job of attacking through our transition defense.”