You know that cliché used at the beginning and end of every championship
sports event? Every team and player is a winner just for being here, regardless
of what happens on the field. Well, that saying could not be more apropos for
the Lewiston-based Valley Thunder’s aptly-named Alliance.
Though they only earned one win in Waukegan, Ill. last
weekend at the US Club Soccer National Cup XI, the biggest victory for the U16G
Premier side came in reaching the tournament itself. It was a huge
accomplishment for a team that a year ago it was not expected to even exist.
The fact that the squad was almost entirely comprised of U15
players is completely overshadowed upon closer examination when you find out
half the team resides in Idaho and the other half in Washington. And it’s not
just a nearby town across the border in the Evergreen State, but all the way on
the other side of the Cascades in Seattle - a distance of around 300 miles.
The team is, in fact, the combination of two half-squads
coached by Michelle Parson, the Director of Coaching for Valley Thunder, and
Kevin Lamb, a former coach for Tynecastle (Seattle) and assistant coach at Shoreline
Community College.
“I had a U18 team that was playing in a league a year and a
half ago and the coach I am currently coaching with was a college coach
recruiting my players, and when he began asking about several of them he
quickly realized I had several U14 players playing,” Parson said of her initial
interaction with Lamb. “After that season my U18 girls graduated, which left
these U14 players without a full team. He was going through a similar
situation. One conversation led to another; to a tournament and now a team that
just finished its first year of play together - and we did it at the national [championship]
tournament.
That is quite an achievement considering the fact that clubs
across the nation in the same city have difficulties working together for what
is best for the players.
“This is a very dynamic situation that no one really would
believe works. We do face things that most teams don't, and we constantly have
to work to make sure we are doing what is right for the kids, but they love
each other and they do not want to change a thing; so we work extra hard to
make it work for them.”
Fortunately, the USCS Regionals were a local event for the
Seattle-based contingent, making the logistics back in June a much simpler task
to tackle in comparison to the trip to Chicago last week. Especially
considering the regional runners-up were invited on short notice as a replacement
for the regional champion Washington Premier, the lone side they could not get
the better of at the regional tournament with a 4-0 loss in group play and 6-1
defeat in the final while outscoring their other group and semifinal opponents
8-1 on aggregate to reach the final as the wildcard.
Having players on the squad who had played well above their
age before proved beneficial in their tournament performances U16 level with
only two U16 members on the team. Though success at the final whistle eluded
them most of the event, the team learned throughout and improved as the
competition continued.
“We are a true U15 team, with the two U16 players coming in
off the bench,” said Parson.
The Alliance had a tough draw facing a local side in the
opening game, falling to the Windy City Pride, 4-0.
“It was a really rough start; lots of nerves and the game
they play is a bit faster. We did adjust early and took them into the second half
1-0. Then we made some costly adjustments after we got down 2-0 in the second
that cost us a couple of goals. We made the adjustments to try to create some
offense, but it backfired.
The team then began to show its mettle. They controlled the
entire second game, but missed several shots, allowing a costly mistake in the
backfield that gave Gulf Coast United the opportunity to capitalize for the lone
goal of the match.
“Sunday's game was great. We won 2-0, and it was a well-structured
game,” Parson said of the final match against Uppr9t Soccer. “We played
consistent and our style of play, which is more of a smaller pass-and -move kind
of game. We do not play a lot of long ball.”
“We had a great experience for our first adventure at this
level of tournament,” concluded Parson. “Looking forward to next year.”
Valley Thunder Alliance Roster
Madison Arends^ (Seattle, WA),Morgan Ashe^ (Lewiston, ID),
Kristi Bartz (Seattle), McKenna Berg (Seattle), Michelle Camerer (Seattle),
Natalie Deland (Seattle), Jazman Griggs (Seattle), Jessica Kloepfer (Lewiston), DeVann Maurer* (Lewiston), Brooke Morrow (Clarkston, WA), Lura Morton (Moscow, ID), Cali Moscrip
(Lewiston), Tori Newman (Seattle), Madison Taylor (Lewiston), Sam
Taylor (Seattle), Mychael Tenwick (Clarkston), Emilee Wiggin (Lewiston). Coaches: Michelle Parson & Kevin Lamb. ^ Denotes U16 player, * Injured/DNP.
