The second regional goalball event of the year took place February 3-5 as the Washington State School for the Blind played host to the USABA Northwest Regional Goalball Tournament in Vancouver, Washington. Seven men’s teams and four women’s teams took part in the three-day event that was live-streamed on the USABA Facebook page.
In the men’s division, the Texas Rattlesnakes went 4-0 on the weekend, including a 13-4 triumph over the NWABA Avalanche in the final. The Rattlesnakes’ roster was made up of Grej Pesjaka, Will Lopez, Richie Flores and Ronald Acuna. The Avalanche finished second with a lineup of John Hinman, Nathanial Baker, Timothy Breitenfeldt and Dalton Williams.
Placing third in the men’s tournament was the team from British Columbia after a thrilling shootout victory over the Seattle King Cobras. The BC team consisted of Russel Leung, Clement Chou, John Tee and Chazz Young.
In the women’s competition, the British Columbia women bounced back from an earlier 4-3 loss to the Sirens on Friday to snatch an 8-7 victory on Sunday as the two squads met again in the final. Maryam Salehizadeh scored all eight goals in the final for BC. She was joined on the winning roster by Haley Olynik, Jessenia Camacho and Melody Shih.
The second-place Sirens were made up of Makalia Lama, Karen Zabel and Eliana Mason. Third place went to the Atlanta Blazers squad consisting of Chloe McDonald, Ali Lawson and Asya Miller.
The 2023 goalball calendar will continue in Westmont, N.J., April 14-16, with the Northeast Regional.