2009 STYSA Super II Champions

The phrase “its not a destination, it’s a journey” has never been more appropriate for a soccer team than it is for the Quest Select Under 18 girls this season. It began back in the spring with this group of girls wanting to just play, and have some fun. Now here we are in December and this group of girls has really experienced their ups and downs. After finishing the fall season with a record of 6 wins, 2 ties against a single loss; these girls are now U18 Super 2 State Champions.

The first match in the state finals would match the Quest girls against the number 1 seed from the Western District, AC Tigres-Storm. It would be the Storm that would strike first in this match in only the 8th minute on a break-away the Storm striker’s first shot was saved but she recovered her own rebound and finished the follow up attempt. The Storm girls would extend their lead in the 32nd minute on a very hard shot ball out of the mid-field which found its way into the Quest net. This would be the last goal conceded by the Quest goal keeper, Shelby, for the duration of the weekend, as her level of play would rise up to this challenge. Down 2-0 and with their backs against the wall the Quest girls would dig deep and strike back 10 minutes later. In the 42nd minute Haleigh would break out of the pack and take a great shot from 28 yards out lifting the teams’ spirits and cutting the Storm lead in half as the match would reach the halfway mark. The second half would prove to be a different story completely as the Quest defense led by Theresa, Elyssa, Elizabeth (Lizzy) and Nikki would raise their level of play and shut down the Storm attack. This would allow the Quest mid fielders the time and space to control the flow for the remainder of the match. Outstanding midfield play from Kelli, Haleigh, Carlee, Tiffany, Christina, Brittney, Erin Y., Brittani and Erin W. would keep the pressure on the Storm defense for most of the second half and allow several goal scoring opportunities for Select. In the 17th minute of the second half Select would pull the match level on a corner kick sent across the face of the goal by Theresa, deflected back across the goal by Carlee and driven home by Erin W. After several additional attacks led by strikers Analise, Christina and Kelli the Quest girls set up for another corner kick in the 29th minute. This time it was a great ball driven across the six yard box that deflected off the goal keeper’s hands and another defender before falling into the Storm goal. With their first lead of the match the Select girls would close out this match with good ball possession and tenacious defense.

The second match of the finals pitted the Quest girls against the Lady Dragons from Western District. Being the second match of the day and with the rain continuing to fall the pace of the match wouldn’t be as fast or crazy as the opener, however it would still prove to the a very exciting match. The first half would be closely contested for every ball and every play as each team both had opportunities and strong defenses. With the match entering the second half of play and the score still tied 0-0, the Quest girls would assume control of this match and keep the Dragon defense on their heels for the majority of the second half. Quest goal keeper Shelby would record a clean sheet as after several good saves some outstanding defense from Nikki, Lizzy, Elyssa and Jordan. The Quest attack was led by strikers Analise, Kelli, Megan (Red), Haleigh and Christina who would combine to keep the Dragon keeper busy for most of the second half. With the midfield being dominated by the Quest central players including Carlee, Theresa, Erin Y, Brittney, Tiffany, Brittani and Erin W the Dragon attack was almost nonexistent throughout the second half of play. With several very good opportunities to break the tie late in the second half the strong Quest attach simply could not find the elusive goal and this match would end in a scoreless draw.

Sunday would bring some excitement to the field as the Select girls would be looking to avenge their only loss of the season against the top seeded Klein Pride from Houston. It would not take long for this match to really heat up as both teams came out very physical challenging every loose ball. It would be in the 12 minute of the opening half that would prove to be the turning point in the match. After a foul, about 25 yards from the Pride goal, Theresa would send a very hard driven ball across the goal area deflecting off the keeper who would then try to clear the ball with her feet. The loose ball was picked up by Christina, who would take a very nice first touch then drive the ball into the back of the Pride net. The goal was not allowed to stand as the AR was struggling to see the Pride defenders marking each of the post and the official ruling was offside. However, from this point on in the match the Quest girls would dominate play and keep the Pride girls on the heels. The match would eventually end in a scoreless draw, with Quest Select finishing with enough points to secure first place in the Under 18 Super 2 bracket.

This article would not be complete without mentioning two girls that have made enormous contributions to this team. The first is Elyssabeth “E”, E played goal keeper for us this fall season, unfortunately she suffered a concussion in our last season match and was not able to participate in the final weekend. The second is Jenna, Jenna has been playing defensive holding midfield for us all year. Unfortunately, she re-aggravated an injury to her hip just days before the state tournament and was not able to play this weekend. Without these two girls we would not have been at the state competition, however they did not miss a match as they stayed on the sidelines and provided advice and encouragement throughout all three matches.