Area youth girls soccer team wins US Club Soccer national tournament
A team consisting of girls from Mars, Seneca Valley and Knoch school districts, among others, won a youth soccer national championship July 25.
And it was not something they envisioned going into the year.
Northern Steel Blue Soccer Club’s U13 girls team claimed the U.S. Club Soccer Premiere Group national championship in Commerce City, Colo., going 3-0 in group play before winning the final 5-1 over Fury FC, from Southern California.
“They were very excited, but I think the parents understood more than the girls,” the team’s coach, Blair Gerlach, said. “I just think it's one of those things where they might not realize the true size of what they accomplished, but they understand it's a big deal.”
The club qualified for U.S. Club Soccer regional tournament in Chicago and won that to make the national tournament.
“For the girls, it was a really eye-opening experience,” he said. “It was the first time they had flown across the country for a tournament they had qualified for.”
Northern Steel won its tournament opener 2-0 over Thurston County United TC, then dominated Iowa Rush Soccer Club 4-0.
“That's when everyone was like, 'Wait, hold on. ... We're 2-0,’” Gerlach said.
Against what he thought would be a buzzsaw, Northern Steel beat Legends FC, another California-based team, 1-0 to advance out of its group. In the final, the girls never let the result be in doubt and won handily 5-1 over Fury FC.
“The girls were just so excited to be there, they played with no nerves like they had nothing to lose,” Gerlach said. “I just think we got off to the right foot.”
Gerlach said Northern Steel went 14-0-1 in the Great Lakes Alliance league against teams from western New York, Western Pennsylvania and Ohio during the fall and spring regular season. He also coaches the Mars High varsity girls soccer team, which kicks off the 2024 fall campaign with Mars Soccerfest Aug. 23-24.
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