'Torch' sends the ball upfield

The 96 MYSA Lunachicks, coming off an undefeated season in the U13 Girls Triad Challenge League this Spring (7-0-2), participated in the NCYSA Challenge State Cup in Raleigh to wrap up their season. Facing teams from CASL and North Meck, the Lunachicks won their preliminary group with a 2-1 record and were the only U13 Girls TCL team to advance to the NCYSA Challenge Cup Final Four. The NCYSA Final Four weekend sees teams from across North Carolina playing to win the State Cup for their level and age, so it was exciting to play this match while almost a dozen other semifinal matches were underway across Bryan Park in Greensboro, NC.

The Lunachicks faced off against the CASL Rockets G on a cool grey morning at beautiful Bryan Park. Both teams mounted numerous attacks on goal, with neither team leading by more than a point. As regulation drew to a close, the game was tied 2-2 and overtime seemed likely. However, the CASL team setup a far field attack off a throw in in the final minute of play and snuck the ball just inside the left post to win the game in the final minute of play. While the Lunachicks were disappointed at not advancing to the championship match, they held their heads high knowing they were the first MYSA team to advance to an NCYSA Cup Final Four and had such an exciting and close match against the eventual Challenge Cup champions from CASL.

Below are some pictures from the event. Many others can be viewed on their website

The CASL Rockets and MYSA Lunachicks walk on to the field before the semifinal

96 Lunachicks lineup before the semifinal

Coach Mike prepares the Lunachicks for the upcoming match

JC steals from a CASL Striker

'BamBam' cuts upfield

'Colors' strips the ball from a CASL stiker

'Micky' intercepts a pass

'Hops' gains control of the ball in mid air

'T' works to win a 50/50 ball

'Colors' heads the ball towards midfield

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!

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!

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!

The Lunachicks played a good match against the SSA Crush and came away with one point in a 1-1 draw. Having lost to the Crush last year, it was good to see improvement and matches between our two teams are always fun and exciting..

KrossBar makes a run towards the goal

The girls knew they had to win to advance to the semi-finals, so they were fired up for their second match against the CASL Cyclones. We had lost to the Cyclones in the Challengefest semi-finals, so the girls knew it would be a tough match. They played with a lot of intensity and moved the ball better than they had in just about any other match this season. They had numerous chances on goal and were able to walk away with a 3-0 win to win their group and advance.

Peyton works to control the ball on the left wing

Hoping to advance to the finals, the girls faced a strong team from Charlotte United. After a few odd calls by the referee that resulted in goals for our opponent, the girls needed to dig in and score, but despite numerous chances, were only able to find the back of the net once. It was a tough way to end the season, but hopefully the girls learned from it.

The girls celebrate a goal in their semifinal match

While we were never able to reach the finals in a tournament this season, the girls can be proud that of the four tournaments they participated in, they reached the semi-finals twice and were one goal away from reaching them in a third. Considering the forth was a Classic level tournament, that’s not too bad!

Enjoy the off season ladies! We have some pictures from Sunday, so if any parents have pictures from Saturday, please let me know!

As luck would have it, we’ll be playing our last tournament in unseasonably cold weather! For us to have seen snow on a November morning is rare indeed and while snow is not expected tomorrow, frost is, which may delay the schedule some Saturday morning.

With temps not expected to get above freezing tomorrow morning until after 10AM, it will be cold for our first match. The girls absolutely should wear Under Armour, leggings if they have them, knit hats and knit gloves. The gloves are the one kicker – making it very hard to throw a ball, so the best kind of gloves have leather surfaces on the fingers. The hats/gloves cannot have ANY type of plastic or metal. The cloth covered ear muffs that are popular these days MAY be allowed at the discretion of the referee. Any extra clothing they want to wear on the field, MUST be worn under their soccer uniform! The girls should bring a HEAVY coat that zips/snaps that they can wear on the bench. If anyone has beat up heavy blankets the girls can use on the bench, that would be great.

Leslie and I will keep everyone updated regarding any delays. Please make sure Leslie has your latest contact information if it is not correct in your parent portal account on the MYSA Website. Click Your Profile to check it.

The current schedule and directions to Bryan Park can be found in the original GYS Clash post. Here is some other useful information:

• GYS Challenge Clash Website
• U12 Girls Blue Schedule and Results
• Current Bryan Park Weather

Even though it’ll be very cold, I’m looking forward to the Lunachicks showing off what they’ve learned this season and hopefully bringing some of the confidence they gained last weekend in Charlotte.

GO LUNACHICKS!

The team arrived for their first match in away blue ready to play. Our opponent was a strong team from nearby Winston-Salem that passed the ball very well and was able to keep the ball at their feet.

The team gets ready for their first match of the tournament

However, the Lunachicks stepped up and played some intense soccer, holding their opponent to 5 shots on goal and one goal allowed while we had three shots on goal at halftime. Our opponents patient passing was something new for our team to adjust to and they did so fairly well.

4v2 is often a scary sight for defenders

At halftime, with the score 0-1, we explained to the girls exactly who they were playing in an effort to build on their confidence. The first half had been a close match up with both teams moving the ball forward on the attack. But the girls seemed to come out a little rattled and our opponent was able to patiently build attacks forward with crisp passing as they pressured our goal often, but in the end were only able to score two more, resulting in a 0-3 loss for the Lunachicks.

T2 Dribbles past a defender

But we were very proud of the girls because they had shown they could play with a team like this stride for stride. Telling them at halftime who they were playing clearly rattled them a bit and when the 2nd goal was scored, they eased back expecting they could never catch up. But they played a solid match against the team that eventually won the U12 tournament championship.

We would be facing a similarly strong team in the afternoon matchup from nearby Chapel Hill, so the coaches were unsure how things would go now that the girls knew they were facing strong Classic teams in every match. From the opening huddle, it was clear the girls had gained some confidence in the morning and were ready to play soccer. They played hard, smart, and together as they outshot their opponent 10-5 in the first half.

BamBam is on the move

Their excitement at halftime was noticeable because they realized they weren’t just ‘hanging in there’ – they were controlling the match for periods of time in the first half, applying significant offensive pressure.

This was a great shot by BamBam from just over midfield

The match was a lot of fun to watch as both teams fought hard for possession of every ball and scoring chances began to increase as the match wore on.

Emmy and Bubbles pursue a free ball with two opponents at their backs

It was clear on a number of occasions that the girls were putting everything they had into this match, as the photo below shows after an ‘oh so close’ shot on goal by T2.

T2 grimaces in pain after almost scoring

It wasn’t long after this that T2 put the ball in the net for our go ahead goal on a rebound off a long free kick from BamBam.

BamBam tries to recover the ball as it suddenly disappears from her feet.

As their coach, I was very proud of the girl’s effort in this match and it was looking like they had the match in hand when they scored to lead 2-1 with seven minutes left. But that’s a lot of time, and with just over two minutes remaining, our opponent pulled even on a corner kick as the ball deflected off one of our players into our own net. A tough way to let a win slip away, but the girls and coaches knew they had just played one of their most enjoyable and exciting matches.

Torch gets helped across the field after a rough collision during the 2nd half

The post match chat was one of excitement and praise for the girls as they had finally played together as a team, with numerous players having scoring opportunities and players looking to pass instead of trying to do everything 1v1. They added a new question to their pregame chant ‘Do You Believe?’ and it was clear they did.

The Lunachicks jog to the parent sideline after a hard fought match

At the end of Saturday they had earned only one point in group play, but the matches that had been played meant so much more to a team that still doesn’t believe they are as good as they are. It was great to see the girls so excited about how they had played.

Sunday morning the girls knew they could not advance to the final with a win and their mood was quite different than on Saturday. The same intensity was not there and they allowed their opponent to move the ball around at will, losing 0-4. It is not uncommon for this team to treat Sunday matches this way and while it was very discouraging to see them let their best chance for a win slip away, they had raised a bar for themselves on Saturday, one their parents and coaches won’t forget.

Hats off to CUFC for putting on a well organized tournament, even after foul weather threatened to disrupt much of the weekend. We enjoyed our first ‘Classic’ experience and hope that we gave our opponents some decent competition as a Challenge competitor.

You can see a lot more pictures of the weekend’s events in our United Cup Photo Album. Right now it’s mainly pictures from Saturday, but as more pictures come in, we’ll add them. Below is a slideshow of random tournament pictures from the weekend. Click on the picture below to start the show if it’s not already running or to advance to the next picture faster:

GO LUNACHICKS!

I told the girls last night they need to start preparing for this tournament in how they eat. That means refrain from drinking soda from last night through the weekend (yeah they laughed too). Stick with water, sports drinks, juice, milk, etc. Eat GOOD meals – stay away from junk food. Everyone should eat something Saturday morning and it should be fairly early (7:30-8AM) Cereal, energy bars, fruit, stuff like that. Same holds true for lunch – light energy packed meals are best to prepare for the 1PM match. Bringing some granola bars, etc. can be useful too.

As Leslie noted, not every tournament is going to be during clear and sunny weather. This is one of those weekends. The tournament committee will do everything they can to get the matches played. CUFC just sent out a phone broadcast stating the tournament is ON as of 9:15AM and they will be sending out updates every three hours. We’ll definitely keep you posted.

The fields are going to be muddy and wet and on Sunday it will be quite cold in the morning. So be sure the girls have the following at the fields:

• A warm coat, zip up jacket, heavy sweatshirt. Saturday will be OK (high of 67), but Sunday it will be in the high 40′s when we play our morning match. When players are on the bench, they need to stay warm.
• Rain coats/ponchos – we’ll have a tent, but still good to have on the bench if it’s windy or before/after the match.
• An old blanket if you have for the bench – it WILL get muddy
• A couple of towels to dry off – again – they WILL get dirty
• At LEAST two pairs of game socks. If you have a third (any royal blue soccer socks will do) bring them.
• An extra pair of cleats if they have them. I know the Eurosport sale just passed – if the girls have new cleats, make sure they bring their old ones as well – new cleats take time to break in and having the old ones to change into if their feet get sore/blisters will be ideal. But regardless, having an extra pair of cleats if they still fit can be useful for an emergency (cleat breaks off, gets lost, etc)
• A complete change of clothing – I’m sure girls will want to change in the cars on the way back to the hotel if they’re soaked.
• Lots of plastic grocery bags to put muddy cleats and soaked clothing in.
• Gloves – the best are knit gloves with some type of padding on the fingers to grip a ball when throwing it in. They cannot have zippers or any type of metal or plastic on them. This is mostly for Sunday.
• Knit hats can also be worn at the discretion of the referee.
• Under Armour. if they don’t have any – bring/get some inexpensive long sleeve T-Shirts to wear under their jersey.
• If they have them – Under Armour shorts are also good to wear under soccer shorts to stay warm.
• SOCCER BALL! Every girl has a soccer bag with a ball pocket. Make sure there’s a soccer ball in it! We never have enough soccer balls to warmup with and I don’t bring the big bag of soccer balls to tournaments.
• iPods, video games, portable DVD player, books, etc. in the cars. With the weather the way it is we might be stuck at the fields if we’re delayed.

Other stuff to consider bringing

• Hair dryer – while hotels often have their own – having a hair dryer to dry out soaked cleats will be a BIG help.
• Cat litter sachets if you have them – even overnight they can help dry out cleats and keep the smell from overpowering small hotel rooms

I explained to the girls last night this was not going to be like many of the other tournaments we’d been too. Almost 300 teams, strong competition, and staying overnight in a hotel vs driving to it. But once they stepped on the field, it was 8v8 just like any other soccer match. I explained they had *earned* a spot in the top tournament division with their past performances and that meant they’d be playing teams just as good as they were and to play hard. But I wasn’ tany more specific than that about the teams we’d face – just that they’d be good teams.

We’ll see how it goes! Just remember that regardless of the score we want the girls to play hard and play smart. I told them (yet again ) if they walked off the field having lost 0-10, but playing hard
Lunachick soccer, I’d be ecstatic.

Finally – PLEASE make sure Leslie has all your latest contact information. Email her your latest cell phone numbers and email addresses as we found a couple weren’t working recently. Also login to your MYSA parent account and click Your Profile to update it there (Leslie can print a contact sheet out using that information) The weather is NOT good and it is likely there will be some weather related changes to the schedule if things go as forecast. So we’ll need to make sure we can contact everyone ASAP if changes get announced. Also let Leslie know if you can receive txt messages – we may use that method as well vs making 14 calls.

Despite the weather forecast, I’m excited!

GO LUNACHICKS!

The schedule for our first post season tournament is out. Looks like we got some nice time slots and no 8AM matches! Here’s what we have so far:

• Sat 11/15 9:30AM McKee Road Park #4 – Wear BLUE
• Sat 11/15 1:00PM McKee Road Park #4 – Wear YELLOW
• Sun 11/16 9:30AM McKee Road Park #2 – Wear BLUE
• And if we win our group – we advance directly to the final:
• Sun 11/16 2:00PM Ramblewood #11A – Wear BLUE

If the schedule changes, I’ll update everyone ASAP. All matches except the final will be at McKee Road Park. Here are directions to the McKee, which is right of I-485 South/West:

• Directions from the Mebane Soccer Complex to McKee Road Park
• Directions from Mebane to the DoubleTree Hotel
• Directions from the DoubleTree Hotel to McKee Road Park
• Directions from McKee Road Park to RambleWood Park

Here are the street addresses for each park and the hotel for those of  you with GPS systems, and each complex name links to the field map for that complex:

• Charlotte Doubletree Hotel – Airport – 6300 Morrison Boulevard, Charlotte, NC, 28211
• McKee Road Park – 4101 McKee Rd, Charlotte, NC 28270
• Ramblewood Park – 10200 Nations Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28273

Driving time from Mebane to the McKee Road Park is just over two hours, so some of you may choose to only stay Saturday night. Please try to arrive at the complex no later than 9:00AM as we play at 9:30AM. I expect warm-up space to be limited, so we won’t need to be there an hour ahead of time. 30-45 minutes ahead will be plenty. Make sure the girls bring BOTH jerseys to every match in case we need to change due to a color conflict.

• Sat 11/22 10:30AM vs SSA Crush – Bryan Park 05 – Wear BLUE
• Sat 11/22 1:00PM vs CASL Cyclones – Bryan Park 06 – Wear BLUE
• Sun 11/23 9:15AM U12 Girls Blue Semifinal – Bryan Park 05 or 06
  • If we finish 1st or 2nd in our group Saturday
• Sun 11/23 11:45AM U12 Girls Consolation (BP05) or Championship (BP06)
  • Consolation if we don’t make semifinals OR Championship if we win a semifinal

If the schedule changes, I’ll let everyone know ASAP. We face a team we played last November in the Clash (SSA Crush) and also the CASL Cyclones, who we played at Challengefest in the semifinals. If we finish 1st or 2nd in our group – we’ll play in a semifinal at 9:15AM Sunday. Otherwise we’ll play the consolation match at 11:45AM.

All the matches are at the main part of the Bryan Park Soccer Complex. Instead of going straight after the railroad tracks, turn left towards the Dynamo Stadium. Fields 5 and 6 are at the far end of the complex – go past the concession stand and keep walking – you’ll be at field 6. Field 5 will be on your left. Here is a map of the Bryan Park Complex.

Getting to Bryan Park is easy – most of you have been there before. Here are directions using I-40 West to I-840 North. Take Rt 70 West to Hwy 29 North. Exit at Hicone Rd, turn left and follow the signs. The address is 6105 Townsend Rd, Greensboro, NC, 27401. If your GPS can’t find it, try using Browns Summit, NC, 27214 for the city (same street address).

You can usually get to Bryan Park in just over 30 minutes. Make sure the girls bring BOTH jerseys to every match in case we need to change due to a color conflict. If the main parking lot is full, there is an auxiliary lot farther down the main road. Worst case, park at the Annex and take the trail through the woods.

NOTE – One interesting thing we experienced last year was a frost delay. If there is frost on the fields, they will delay the early matches. While we don’t have 8AM matches, any delay pushes the whole schedule back. We’ll keep everyone posted if anything like this is expected this year.