• E. Beauchamp
• N. Blackwood
• K. Blackwood
• S. Burke
• B. Campbell
• M. Cheek
• J. Copeland
• E. Holmes
• M. Jackson
• E. Kitchen
• E. Livers
• A. Patterson *
• M. Perry
• P. Rice
• M. Rimmer
• K. Wheeler

* = Dual Rostered

We’re looking forward to a fun and exciting year of soccer! Enjoy your summer vacation ladies.

Colors & Hops – we’ll miss you! T2 – Stay off that knee and get better soon!

GO LUNACHICKS!

Our first match was a wake up call. Against a team that had been playing travel for a year, we got utterly run over, losing 0-9 to our cross town rivals. The next match we lost 0-6 and it could have been much much worse. But this group of girls got through that and kept working hard. They were working hard and showing off stuff they had learned in practice. Suddenly matches were being won or lost by a point or two. Their next season they finished 6-2. Suddenly this team of random players was a team to be reckoned with. We picked up a few players, said goodbye to a couple players and soldiered on. They moved up to Classic, but never believed believe they could play at that level. In 2009 they won four matches, but lost 30. Yet this group of girls stuck together. Of the original 14 Lunachicks, 9 still play on the team.

So they moved back to Challenge and had the most successful season they ever have this Spring, finishing undefeated at 7-0-1. They came ‘this close’ to beating a team that qualified for Premiere this year, losing a hard fought 1-2 match. But above all else, despite all the past disappointment, heartbreak, and ‘agony of defeat’, these girls have been having the time of their lives. 12 of them made their respective middle school teams and it was wonderful to see Woodlawn and Hawfields battle it out until the end, finishing tied for first place and both matches between the two ending in shootouts. Some of you in Mebane have probably seen them around town in those blinding yellow sleeveless jerseys they begged the league to approve (thanks Shannon ). Two of them taught themselves the flip throw-in, adding flair to their already intense style of play. One of them tore her ACL early in the season, but with doctor’s approval has been playing her heart out in a special knee brace, determined to finish the season. In short, they have become a team – fiercely protective of each other and determined to prove that they CAN play competitive soccer and play it well against any opponent.

And this past weekend they took another step towards proving that. They advanced to the semifinals of the NCYSA Challenge State Cup. So while many of you are still asleep tomorrow at 8AM, they’ll be taking the field to face the CASL Rockets trying to advance to the State Cup finals on Sunday. Tomorrow they’ll be representing Mebane proudly as they battle three CASL teams for the U13 Girls Challenge State Cup and hopefully bring it home to Mebane.

Ladies – I can’t tell you how proud I am of what you’ve accomplished so far. Many teams, enduring the difficulties we have in the past, would have dissolved in the wind. But you toughed it out. You may have struggled to believe you really were as good as people said. But hopefully this past season has helped with that. You went undefeated in your division. Your middle school teams tied for first. You’ve played many matches where the ball rarely gets into our end of the field. And now you’re in the State Cup semifinals. Yet it’s not the wins that make me so proud of you as your coach. It’s all the other things you’ve done. The sportsmanship you’ve displayed. Helping with or holding clinics for younger girls in Mebane to come out and play/learn soccer. The way you’ve kept your chins up in bad times and tempered your excitement in good. Thanking the officials after each match, and more. I’m incredibly proud of you and it’s been an honor to coach you all these past 3 years.

But like I said last night. There’s nothing else I can do for you to help you win this weekend. It has to come from your heart. If you really believe, deep down, that you AND your teammates can do this, there’s no opponent that can stand in your way. It won’t be easy and will require you leave everything on the field. But it certainly is within your reach. Take the field tomorrow, composed, with your heads held high and confident you can play your best. Good luck ladies! GO LUNACHICKS!

Any female soccer player born between August 1st, 1996 and July 31st, 1997 is eligible. Younger players (rising U13 players born between 8/1/97 and 7/31/98) may also be considered, but only if the MYSA doesn’t field a U13/’97 girls team.

The team will take a break and then get ready for the TCL Cup and Beat the Heat tournaments, followed by the NC Challenge State Cup. Good luck ladies!

• Gravelly Hill Middle School: Katie
• Hawfields Middle School: Kirsten, Madi, Micaela, and Nicole
• Turrentine Middle School: Hannah
• Woodlawn Middle School: Carly, Emilee, Jenna, Kaitlin, Kerry (alumnae), Peyton, Sarah, Tayler

Great job ladies and good luck!

So despite the loss, it was a great match for the team and showed the girls are ready for the upcoming season.

GO LUNACHICKS!

Schedule (TCC Official Schedule)

• Sat Aug 22nd 9:45AM vs CVYSA Blast Blue, Hine Park #3
• Sat Aug 22nd 4:45PM vs MUFC Navy, Hine Park #3
• Sun Aug 23rd 9:45AM vs CESA Premier, Hine Park #5
• Sun Aug 23rd 2:00PM U13 Blue Championship, Sara Lee #1

Directions to each complex and complex field maps can be found below:

• Directions to Hine Park Fields 1-4
• Directions to Hine Park Fields 5-7
• Directions to Sara Lee Fields 1-3
• Hine Park/Sara Lee Overview
• Hine Park Field Map
• Sara Lee Field Map

Good luck ladies and make the MYSA proud! Results can be tracked online at the tournament website.

GO LUNACHICKS!

To help prepare for that, the team will face off against a couple of teams from Guilford United Soccer Club on August 15th in Mebane during the MYSA’s friendly weekend.

The team will be holding a Car Wash fundraiser at Advance Auto Parts in Mebane (1008 Mebane Oaks Road) on Saturday August 29th from 10AM through 4PM. So come get your car cleaned and help support the Lunachicks! All proceeds will go towards travel and tournament expenses.

We’re looking forward to another exciting (and hopefully more successful) season!

GO LUNACHICKS!

MYSA Lunachicks Spring 2009 Girls Clinic

Thanks to the Fairy Odd Mother for taking some pictures for our photo album.

Spring 2009 Girls Clinic Slideshow
[[View As A Slideshow]]

For those of you who couldn’t make the clinic this year, we hope to have another one sometime in August or September!

The Lunachicks went to the Beat The Heat tournament this past weekend and advanced to the semi-finals after going 3-0 in the group stage, shutting out all three of their opponents. The team played what arguably was their best match of soccer ever in the group stage, providing parents and coaches alike with a great display of ball movement, teamwork, and intensity. It was clear their hard work this season had paid off.

Despite the disappointment of our semi-final loss to the eventual champions, the girls had a lot of fun and did a great job. Coach is very proud of their effort in the sun and heat!

Onward to the Seaside Classic!

From the start of the season, a significant difference has been the intensity the girls are putting into practice. They are working harder at the activities and trying to learn. Yes, we still have silliness and such (we’re the Lunachicks, how can you not?), but for the most part, the girls are working hard to improve. That was one of our goals with moving to Classic, so that has been good to see.

Looking back at our matches so far, it’s been a mixed bag, but we’re showing improvement.

Our friendly in Apex was very encouraging. While our opponent possessed the ball more, we made them work for scoring chances and had a few of our own. Defensively – we were excellent, but we didn’t move the ball well. The girls proved, likely without knowing it, that they absolutely COULD play at this level given who they played.

Our first three regular season matches were not as encouraging. Between the early bickering and the half hearted play at times, it was clear we were not playing anywhere near our capability. The girls definitely didn’t believe they were a Classic team and played that way. I had hoped once the decision was made and they knew they were in Classic, that they would just play. Clearly I underestimated how much of an impact this would have on them. They had so convinced themselves that they didn’t belong or couldn’t play at this level, it became self fulfilling. They had to prove to themselves they were good enough, but when you’re playing poorly because you think you aren’t, you wonder what it will take and if it’ll ever happen. As their coach, after the first couple matches, I’ll admit I was worried.

Their third match seemed to be a turning point for them. Despite letting in those two early goals in the first minute, they seemed to realize that holding that team scoreless for 59 minutes was a big deal. So even though they lost, I got the feeling afterward that they were happy with what they had done or at least realized it was a significant accomplishment. We played stiff defense against a team that moved the ball very well, so as a coach, I was glad to see the improvement. We learned a lot that match because of the many ways the other team could attack (give and go, solid crossing, overlapping runs, etc.) Those were things we never really saw in Challenge.

Obviously, their first win was a significant step forward. They scored their first goals, beat an undefeated team that hadn’t been scored on yet, and showed they could win free balls better than they had all season. It was a great match for them and I think it really helped their confidence. I think it also surprised them that other people outside the league noticed their accomplishment. For the first time, I saw confidence in their responses when I asked them if they believed they were good enough (I was starting to sound like the Verizon guy “Do you believe me now?“). The scrimmage was a disappointment, as they regressed to their earlier antics, plus this team is very aware of which matches count and which don’t, something we as coaches don’t really talk about. They knew it was a friendly against obviously younger kids, so they didn’t take it seriously. When the younger girls started outplaying them, they got frustrated and took themselves completely out of the match. This has been one of the more puzzling aspects of the Lunachicks – the keen sense of when to put forth full effort and when not to. As their coach, I still haven’t figured it out or come up with an idea when they’ll be 100% on and when they won’t be.

Our next match was an example why…

When we ended up playing in extreme conditions, with the freezing cold and rain, they stepped up and played a VERY good game. I expected them to just go through the motions Saturday just to get the match over with and get back home to warm up. It was clear the girls were playing toe to toe with that team, as both teams had solid chances to score. At halftime, when everyone was already frozen and soaked to the skin, I asked them if they were ready to win this match. The intensity and sincerity in their response was surprising – they really wanted it. As heartbreaking as it was to let a draw slip away or have many of our chances to score go ‘just wide’, that was a heck of a match. The girls really cared about it and a few girls played harder or with more intensity than they ever had this season. That’s not the kind of match where you expect that. So even though we lost 0-1, that match showed a lot about who this team is.

We may be silly, inattentive, aloof, and more at times, overall the girls are working harder and are starting to realize what they’re a part of. I’m seeing more of them realize that they really are a good team, that they can compete with these opponents. Yet in order to beat them they have realized they need to work hard, take practice serious, and get better. Yes ‘serious’ is a relative term with this team – I get that. But the Monday night training sessions have been intense along with some of the Thursday practices, which I admit we often use to just have some fun. They’re still 12 year old girls, but it’s been clear we’ve shifted our mindset a bit in terms of the balance in keeping things fun and working harder. It’s a gradual thing, nothing changes overnight. But just looking at the overall season, I’ve noticed subtle changes in most of the girls mindsets that are very encouraging.

Which brings us to where we are today. We’re officially 1-4. I know some care – I don’t. In my mind we’re 3-3-1. We’ve had three ‘wins’ in terms of the team’s development and intensity on the field (TFC, KSA, and GYS Gold). TFC surprised me given when we played it, but it was good that the girls showed their true potential against such a stiff opponent (TFC is undefeated and has allowed one goal so far in their division). GYS Gold counts as a win in my book because of the conditions and how hard the girls played when they could have just gone through the motions to get done and go home. BSC, GYS White, and 97 TUSA Gold were just matches where our minds weren’t in it, and I know as a team we’re not at a point where we’ve gotten past having matches like that. GUFC Courage was a draw in my eyes because we played one horrible minute of soccer and 59 minutes where we repelled attack after attack. And if you think about it, consider the fact that but for a few mistakes, we’re not 1-4, but instead 1-2-2 or 2-2-1.

So halfway through our first Classic season, I absolutely believe the team has improved, developed, and started to realize what it takes to be ready for strong opponents every weekend. That was the overriding goal of this move – to get the girls more focused on improving and playing as a team. We still have a LOT of work to do, and the girls know this. We still don’t consistently play well as a team, communicate on the field, or deal with constructive criticism well. Respect for the coaches and the game still needs to improve and it’s still hard to tell when or why we’ll regress to bickering and frustration.

But after five matches, I think they’ve proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they DO belong at this level, it’s helping their development, and the girls are still having fun. Being 5-0 wasn’t one of my goals for this season. However, if the girls continue to work as hard as they have and we can make some breakthroughs in their understanding of the game and how it works, that’s not out of the realm of possibility. You never know – none of us expected this group to be where they are right now.

Finally, I wanted to thank all of you. I know most of you were either extremely skeptical about this whole Classic thing, or harbored enough reservations to make you uneasy. Yet you also had enough confidence in me as their coach to take a chance and see if my ramblings about desire, motivation, and development were true. Or at least to give me enough rope to hang myself I’ll admit I was scared to death about how this season would unfold. But halfway through, I hope even the most skeptical among you are starting to see things in the girls this season that we never saw in Challenge.

Here’s hoping the 2nd half of the season sees more improvement. Being the Lunachicks, we know there will be more excitement!

GO LUNACHICKS!