Sunrise 96/97 Team Plays Great at Disney

The team finished in second place, had the best overall record and scores the most goals and allows the least

Lake Buena Vista, Florida (July 29, 2007) -The 96/97 girls returned to the Challenge Sports 3v3 Nationals for the third straight year and for the third straight year, finished close to the top. As always, the girls had so much fun and they got to meet nice players from around the state and even the country. The team has shown good consistency over the years, placing in second place in 2005, third place in 2006 and then again in second place this year. This was the team's best year ever in terms of overall performance, as the girls just played fantastic through out. The passing on this team was something to marvel at and helped the girls out score every other team in the tournament, scoring 39 goals (6.5 per game). The team's aggressive style of defense was also very effective, allowing only 15 goals (2.5 per game), the least in the tournament. The team looks forward to building on this experience to improve their play when they return to full-sided games.

The girls had some nice wins against good competitors including the Georgia Heat, the Mighty Dolphins, the Red Hots, the Triple Threat and Florida Premier. Going into the semi-finals, only Sunrise and Florida Premier were still undefeated, both with 4-0 marks. The two teams met in the semi-final match and Sunrise defeated Florida Premier to advance to the finals as the only remaining undefeated team. In the title match, the Sting played against the Predators. This was a close contest and it was tied 2-2 at halftime and remained 2-2 with two minutes remaining in the game when the Predators scored to take a one goal advantage. A final goal about 30 seconds later put the game out of reach and the Predators won the championship 4-2. The girls had a big shot advantage in this game (27-12) but the Predators did a good job of denying the Sting's chances and did an even better job of converting theirs. Sunrise finished with the best overall record in the tournament (5-1) but not with the title. Congratulations go out to the Predators on a well played game and on their championship.

Sunrise also had two other teams in the tournament. Both the 98/99 and the 95/96 girls entered the tournament for the first time. The 98/99 girls had a great time and finished with a record of 2-2. The girls got to run around the hotel and they bonded and look forward to many years together playing soccer. The 95/96 team had three girls making their debut in 3v3, and this team had a tougher time in terms of wins and losses. However, they left Disney better then when they arrived and ultimately, that is what it is all about.


The three teams had a good time at Planet Hollywood on Friday night