Northern Virginia claims U13 Girls Title

Northern Virginia claims U13 Girls title
Championship caps perfect season for Majestics
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Northern Virginia Majestics News Release - www.novafc.org

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

TAMPA, FL -- The U13G Northern Virginia Majestics surged past Rage SC 3-1 to lay claim to the Super Y-League (SYL) North American Championship title yesterday at Ed Radice Soccer Complex in Tampa, Florida. An early strike by Majestic Jewel Christian and a pair of goals from teammate Annah Lindberg proved enough to triumph over the Rage (Pennsylvania) in the hard-fought final match.

Lindberg was named SYL Tournament MVP for her efforts throughout the four-day tournament featuring the top SYL clubs in the United States and Canada.

The North American tournament title capped a perfect 17-0-0 season for Northern Virginia in the squad’s first SYL season.

The U13 victory marks the third SYL North American Championship title brought home by the Majestics. Northern Virginia previously won the U18 SYL National Championship in 2001 and U19 SYL Continental Championship in 2005.

Northern Virginia set the tempo early, driving quickly into the Rage defensive third in the opening moments of the match. A cross from Majestic Ashley Skertic set up a blast from Christian into the goal for the 1-0 Northern Virginia lead. Fifteen minutes later, Maggie Chapman sent a driven corner kick into the Rage penalty area, setting up the first goal from Lindberg and a 2-0 half-time advantage.

The Rage fell victim to the Chapman-Lindberg combination again in the second half. Midfielder Chapman fed the streaking Lindberg into the left corner of the box on a crisp pass along the ground. Lindberg collected the ball in full stride a rocketed her shot untouched into the Rage goal to cap the Majestic scoring on the day.

The Rage fought hard in the waning minutes and were rewarded for their efforts when Emily Diehl’s shot found the back of the Majestic net for only the second time in the entire 2009 season.

The Majestics were one of four unbeaten teams in the U13 Girls bracket. They posted the lone perfect 3-0-0 record in group play, including a 2-0 result against the previously undefeated Kings Soccer Academy (Cincinnati). After topping Coquitlam SC (British Columbia) 4-0 on the second day of play, Northern Virginia won a hard fought 2-0 result over the Washington Freedom to advance into the semifinals.

The upstart Majestics finished group play without giving up a goal and continued their tournament shutout downing Coastal WFC 3-0 in the semifinal match.

“After seeing a large amount of talent at all age groups throughout the weekend, I think the best term to describe our U13s is poise,” commented club General Manager Tim Schweitzer. “This special group of young ladies plays a very stylish and creative game, never appearing hurried or rattled.”

“They are highly entertaining and truly a pleasure to watch,” concluded Schweitzer.
Northern Virginia Football Club, comprised of the Northern Virginia Royals (male), Northern Virginia Majestics (female), and NOVA FC (male and female) USL teams, was represented by the a club record of nine teams in the 2009 North American Finals as well as thirty-three players in the 2009 SYL ODP Camp pool.