It is the end of the road for the PWSI Cardinals. After five years, the Woodbridge-based girls club soccer team, formed in 2002 by Battlefield boys soccer coach Steve Smith, finishes its run in the best possible way: Playing for an under-19 national title at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships this week in Frisco, Texas.
A core group of six original girls remain from that under-14 squad, the team adding talent every spring. This year, the Cardinals finally broke through in the Region I championship, beating New Jersey club power PDA in penalty kicks to advance to nationals.
“It’s really kind of bittersweet,” said Cardinals forward Emily Jukich, a former standout at Centreville High who now plays for Virginia Tech. “I love that I get to hang out with these girls for another week and we’re all super excited for nationals. But after that, no more club soccer.”
The six original Cardinals are defenders Patti Benner (Centreville High/George Mason University), Leslie Cabe (Lake Braddock/George Mason) and Stephanie Hair (Battlefield/George Mason); midfielders Latrice Lee (Forest Park/Radford) and Colleen Thamm (Battlefield/Longwood); and goalie Mary Casey (Chantilly/Maryland).
They have been joined in recent years by former area stars Sam Moskal (Chantilly/Villanova), Krissy Vornadore (Ireton/William & Mary) and Sam Drees (Hayfield/Arizona), among others. This season, the Cardinals added three players from the Virginia Beach area, including starting forward Julian Johnson, an All-ACC rookie team selection from Virginia Tech.
“It’s never easy when you add a whole bunch of new players to an established team, especially ones who have played against each other for years,” said Vornadore, a midfielder in her first year with the Cardinals. “It was a little bit rocky at first. But we figured out how to make it work.”
The Cardinals have also been bolstered by the return of midfielder Kristin Bowers. The former Lake Braddock star had been out of action for 11 1/2 months after breaking her right leg in a game with the Cardinals in May of 2006. She missed the final four games of Lake Braddock’s run to the Group AAA state title that season, took a redshirt year at Virginia last fall and had to endure an agonizing rehabilitation process that, at times, left her questioning her future in the sport.
“It’s been a crazy, roller-coaster year with bad days and some really bad days,” said Bowers. “Really, I’m just glad to be back on the field again. But to get back and also have the chance to play [at nationals] is kind of hard to believe.”
Championship Week
What » U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships
When » Tuesday-Sunday
Where » Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
The skinny » Forty-eight boys and girls club soccer teams from across the country battle for a national championship in age brackets ranging from under-14 to under-19. Each age bracket has four teams, which compete against each other in pool play Wednesday through Friday. The top two teams then play Saturday for the title.
» Besides the PWSI Cardinals, the other Washington, D.C. area qualifier was the under-16 McLean Freedom girls, led by Centreville rising sophomore forward Jenna Richmond.
