“I can’t wait for the USA Cup!” “1 month until the USA Cup!”
“1 week until the USA Cup!”
The countdowns and excitement were clear in the minds, hearts, and on the Myspace and Facebook profiles of the Lady Stingers planning to attend the best week of their lives. Finally, the week of July 19-25, 2009 arrived as the girls hopped on airplanes or piled into cars for a grueling 17 hour drive to Blaine, Minnesota. I can speak for the whole team when I say that the USA Cup is an experience like no other, and this year’s tournament can be marked as one of the most memorable times in our lives.
The competition began on Tuesday of that week. We played our first game against a local Minnesota team, Coon Rapids. Not knowing what to expect, we stepped on the field a little nervous, yet confident in our abilities. We took the game to the opponents and quickly secured a lead before the final whistle blew and we walked off the field with our heads held high after a 5-0 shutout.
That night was the tournament’s Opening Ceremony. All the girls sported their brand new Lady Stingers T-shirts, artfully designed and painted by Alex Shaw and Annie LaCour. It began with a parade of all 800+ teams from states across the nation and countries around the globe. There were speakers, fireworks, parachutists, and a concert, all in the midst of thousands of kids from all over the world interacting, taking pictures, and making new friends. I can’t imagine a better way to start off a tournament.
Rested and refreshed from the previous day’s excitement, our girls woke up on Wednesday ready for another good match. This one would be against another team from Minnesota. They were a good team and it was a really challenging match that ended in a 1-1 draw. It could’ve been worse, but also much better, so we put it behind us and used the determination and motivation we gained from it to beat our third opponent, a team from Alaska, 6-0, placing us at the top of our group.
Faced again with a local opponent and fatigue starting to take its toll, we ventured into the quarterfinal round. At halftime we were up 2-1 but aware that we needed to score at least one more goal to really secure our lead. Our problems deepened when our opponents tied the score, making it 2-2 in the second half. We realized that without a win in this game we would be eliminated and all our hope of a championship destroyed. So, we came together and picked up our intensity for the rest of the match, scoring two more goals and guaranteeing us a spot in the semis with a 4-2 win!
The next morning in the semifinals against another Minnesota opponent, we gave it all we had to come out with a 4-1 triumph. We had made it to the championship match, a feat no one could’ve predicted when we first began. Yet, there we were matched up against the Woolwich Whitehawks from Ontario, Canada. We finished the match with a tie of 1-1 and went through two intense overtimes with no outcome. We were forced into a penalty kick shootout. This was for everything we had worked for. 5 girls stepped up to the plate: Kaisha, Maggie, Raemy, Mary, and Emily. With four out of five shots made for the Lady Stingers and only two for the Whitehawks, we had done it. The Lady Stingers had just become USA Cup CHAMPIONS!
On behalf the WV Lady Stingers, I would like to extend a special thanks to our parents and coaches, Florin and Telma, for making it all possible and supporting us every step of the way. Also, I’d like to thank our four guest players, Kaisha Chu from Hawaii, Jaime Hill from Iowa, and Sam Crnokrak and Emily Olson from Minnesota for being great teammates and friends. We couldn’t have done it without you girls!
-article by Nicole Marton
