Four Courage '95 Players Head to Rider Cup

The ODP Tournament, also known as Rider Cup, begins this weekend in New Jersey.  Four Courage '95 Gold players have been selected to represent Virginia against teams from the other states in US Region 1.  Region 1 extends from Maine south to West Virginia.

Emily Lung will participate with Virginia A in the U16 age group. Her team will play teams from Connecticut, Pennsylvania West, and Maryland.

Niomi Serrano will play for Virginia B in the U16 age group.  (They are a U15 team playing up for this tournament.)  Her teams will play teams from Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Eastern New York. 

Annah Lindberg and Ashley Skertic are on the U15 Virginia team. Their team will play teams from Eastern Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, and Eastern New York. 

Good luck Emily, Niomi, Annah and Ashley!!!  Go Virginia!

Congratulations - High School All-District Teams!

Group AAA Cedar Run District:
1st Team -
Colleen Gawkins, freshman, Battlefield

Group AAA Cardinal District:
1st Team -
Annah Lindberg, freshman, Forest Park
Bertha Martinez, sophmore, Gar-Field
Jordan Kestel, freshman, Forest Park


2nd Team-
Jewel Christian, freshman, Woodbridge
Thyla Peterson, sophmore, Osbourn Park

Group AAA Commonwealth District
2nd Team-
Niomi Serrano, freshman, Colonial Forge

Group AA Evergreen District:
2nd Team-
Cassidy Rowell, freshman, Brentsville

Group AAA Liberty District:
Honorable Mention:
Emily Lung, sophmore, Stone Bridge

PWSI Courage '95 Gold Wins Premier League Championship!!

Pictured L - R:  GK Arianna Reichardt, 2nd row Rachel Marion, Ashley Skertic, Annah Lindberg, Niomi Serrano, Colleen Gawkins, Jewel Christian, Melanie Lytle, 3rd row - Coach Chris Jones, Thyla Peterson, Bertha Martinez, Jessica Leonard, Jordan Kestel, Emily Lung, Cassidy Rowell, Siobhan O'Toole & Asst. Coach Steve Huffman

The ‘95 Gold team rose above adversity to capture the Premier League crown for U15 girls.  Saturday’s match was against a tough World Class Soccer Team from New York.  Defender Jordan Kestel scored first on a long direct  kick perfectly placed.  Later in the first half, Niomi Serrano passed the ball to Melanie Lytle who fired a rocket past the keeper.  World Class refused to give up and tied the score in the 2^nd half.  The final goal was put in the net by Jewel Christian on an assist from Annah Lindberg.  The 3-2 victory allowed the Courage Gold to proceed to the Final on Sunday against Match Fit Chelsea from New Jersey.

 It was a battle of the unbeaten Premier League North and South Champions.  In the first half, Ashley Skertic placed a corner kick into the box and Annah Lindberg headed the ball into the net.  Both teams continued to battle until the final whistle, but the strong defensive play and goalkeeping prevented any other goals. 

Despite injuries and fatigue from busy high school soccer schedules, Courage Gold under the leadership of Coach Chris Jones dug deep, kept the focus on team, and found the collective heart and will to achieve a goal set back in the Fall.  This Championship qualifies the team to compete against the Region 1 state champions in late June for an opportunity to qualify for the National Championship.  The PWSI Courage ‘95 Gold would like to thank PWSI for their support and encouragement.

Gold Takes Shot at Region I Title

Article by Dave Utnik in News & Messenger on 4/19/2011

"Courage to battle for top spot - Face North Division runner-up CFC in Region I championships in Delaware."

"'Every game was approached with a mindset of win or go home,' goalie Arianna Reichardt said. 'From the goalie to the forwards, everyone is expected to perform at a high caliber.'"

"An undefeated record pretty much confirms that."

"Seven different players - Annah Lindberg, Colleen Gawkins, Emily Lung, Jewel Christian, Jessica Leonard, Jordan Kestel, and Niomi Serrano - scored at least one goal during league play."

"'The players were very excited to be accepted into the Region I Premier League and immediately set a goal to win first place,' Courage coach Chris Jones said. 'This team has great chemistry, athleticism, and tremendous talent.'"

"'We knew we wanted to make it to regionals,' (Thyla) Peterson said."

For the complete article and pictures:
http://www2.insidenova.com/sports/2011/apr/19/courage-95-gold-takes-shot-region-i-title-ar-983927/

PWSI U15 Girls Sweep Region One League by Storm

This past weekend the Courage 95 Gold team wrapped up First Place in the Region 1 Premier League South!  Congratulations Gold!!

For the complete article:
http://www.scribd.com/full/52759125?access_key=key-jqrbfv38nqfdgo8c9ts

Pictures courtesy of Gawkins Family
picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=110936138709969373350&target=ALBUM&id=5594091509454493553&authkey=Gv1sRgCOf3vr7rz97yOA&feat=email

Third Place at Jefferson Cup

After a disappointing Saturday, including a 2 - 0 loss against an excellent SAC team and a 0 - 0 tie with the NC Fusion Elite, our Gold found the goal on Sunday.  The '95 Gold team defeated World Class FC 95  with a score of 6 - 2.  Goals were scored by Jessica Leonard, Colleen Gawkins (2), Jewel Christian (2), and Cassidy Rowell. 

The consolation game was against Hockessin SC Blast.  After getting behind by a goal, Jordan Kestel scored a header goal off a corner from Ashley Skertic.  Emily Lung and Annah Lindberg also added goals.  The final score was 3 - 1. 

Excellent defensive play by Arianna Reichardt, Jordan Kestel, Siobhan O'Toole, Bertha Martinez, Thyla Peterson, and Rachel Marion kept the Gold in the games all weekend.

Congratulations Gold!!

Four '95 Gold Players Selected for ODP Friendlies

Emily Lung, Annah Lindberg, Niomi Serrano, and Ashley Skertic will participate on Virginia ODP teams during the Williamsburg Friendlies.  They will compete against the top ODP teams from U.S. Soccer Regions I, II, and III. 

Stone Bridge sophmore, Emily Lung will participate with the '95 Virginia team.  She is a strong midfielder who played on the 2010 High School Championship team, and has played on the '95 Virginia ODP team for 4 years.  In 2009, she was selected to the ODP Region I Pool.  In 2010, she participated in the ODP Interregional National Camp.

Lindberg, Serrano, and Skertic will participate with the '96 Virginia teams.  Forest Park freshman, Annah Lindberg was selected to the USL ODP National Pool in 2010, and is returning to the USL ODP National Camp this Spring.  Lindberg is a scoring threat from forward or midfield positions. 

Colonial Forge freshman, Niomi Serrano has been a member of the Virginia State ODP Pool and participated in the ODP Regional Camp since 2008.  Serrano plays forward and relentlessly attacks her opponents' goals.

 Benton 8th grader, Ashley Skertic has been a member of the Virginia State ODP Pool since 2010.  Skertic, a quick footed midfielder, attended the ODP Regional Camp in 2010 and has been selected to attend the USL ODP National Camp this Spring.

Majestics Lead 12-Team Field To Tampa

Majestics Lead 12-Team Field To Tampa
USL Feature

TAMPA, Fla. -- The 12-team field for the Girls U14 Division of United Soccer Leagues’ Super Y-League North American Finals has been completed, with reigning U13 champions the Northern Virginia Majestics returning to try and add a second title at the tournament scheduled for November 19-23 in Tampa, Fla.

The Majestics picked up where they left off in 2009 over the summer, going 9-1-0 in the South Atlantic Division, the only tie a 1-1 draw in their opening game against fellow qualifier the Richmond Kickers. The goal the Majestics conceded in that contest was the only one they allowed throughout the season, outscoring their opponent 47-1 in 10 league games. Annah Lindberg led the Majestics offense with 16 goals.

While falling in their second contest with Northern Virginia, Richmond also had a strong summer, going 8-1-1 to finish three points behind the Majestics. The Kickers balanced squad saw eight players finish with multiple goals, Katherine Cousins leading the way with seven.

The side Northern Virginia defeated in last season’s U13 final also returns, with the Rage SC from Reading, Pa. winning Group B of the Mid Atlantic Division with a 9-0-1 record. Emily Diehl scored 10 goals in as many games for the Rage, who edged out fellow qualifier the Washington Freedom (8-1-1) by two points.

Match Fit Chelsea from Bayonne, N.J. won Group A in the division, losing only once in its 16-game schedule to finish with a record of 11-4-1. In a highly competitive group, MFC won almost half of its games by just a goal, including a 2-1 victory against group runner-up the Long Island Rough Riders on June 13.

Long Island also finished with only one loss, but finished six points behind MFC thanks to a large number of draws to leave the Rough Riders with a record of 8-7-1. Both teams will be joined in Tampa by the Perugia Grifos, who finished third in Group A. The Grifos finished ahead of Quickstrike FC on goal difference within their own group and held a higher point percentage than Group B third-place finisher Real Maryland FC to advance.

Coastal FC, which advanced to the U13 semifinals in 2009, won the Pacific Northwest Division, but it came down to the final day of the season for the club as it edged out Coquitlam Metro-Ford by a point as both sides drew in their final contests.

CMF earned four points from its contests with Coastal, but a run of draws allowed to Coastal to capitalize and take a one point lead for the only qualification berth from the group. On July 18, Coastal played to a 0-0 tie with Mountain FC, giving CMF an opening to jump them with a victory, but CMF were held to a scoreless draw on the same day by third-placed Thompson-Okanagan FC to send Coastal through.

Single teams also advanced out of the New England and Southeast Divisions, with Seacoast United claiming the berth from the New England Division with a 2-1 victory in their penultimate game against the MPS Lady Knights. Goals from Kendall Ham and Courtney Benson gave Seacoast victory and a seven-point cushion over the Lady Knights, who had only two games remaining.

West Pines clinched the berth from the Southeast Division in style, winning all eight of its games without conceding a goal. Melanie Monteagudo led the team with nine goals in eight games as 10 different players found the scoresheet throughout the season.

Rounding out the field are the two qualifiers from the competitive Midwest Division, which was won by the Chicago Fire Juniors from Michigan. The Fire finished with a record of 6-3-1 as eight points separated the top five teams in the division. The Cleveland Internationals finished a point behind the Fire, going undefeated through the season with a record of 5-5-0.

Both sides also had a pair of players who finished with six goals apiece, the Fire’s Isabella Fiorenzo and Mariah Otolski and the Internationals’ Marissa Milazzo and Emily Ogle all finishing tied for the league lead.

Current Rank from GotSoccer.com

Current Rank Change Championship
National Ranking Points 15509
State Ranking Points 16615
National Rank 17 (+32)
Region 1 Rank 4 (+13)
Virginia Rank 1 (+1)
Current Rank Calculated: 9/26/2010
Previous Rank Calculated: 8/27/2010