A team of six Strikers recreational players (freshman high school girls) competed in the Kick It 3v3 World Championships, which was held over a three day weekend, January 17 - 19 in Orlando, FL.  This team qualified to attend the world championships by placing in the top 3 of the Strikers Jefferson Open this past summer.  The next step was a regional tournament held in York, PA, which the team finished in the top 3 again.

The venue for the Kick It 3v3 World Championships was at the Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.  Teams from all over the United States and even Canada participated in the event and was attended by thousands of people.  Our team played in the “94 Rec Female” division and were pleased to be representing the Richmond Strikers at this championship event.

This event was a fantastic experience.  Our team finished 6th overall, losing a very close final consolidation match 4-3.  The majority of their opponents have been playing 3v3 soccer for many years and have accumulated a lot of experience with this style of play.  Although our team was new to this format at the national level, they were very competitive; they learned a lot on-the-fly, adapted well under fire, and became a stronger team with each game.  They won a  couple of games by large margins, and the games we lost were close, generally by just 1 or 2 goals.
 
We are very proud of these young women, for their character, spirit, and dedication to each other and to their team.  They gave it their all during every game – both mentally and physically - and they showed class and sportsmanship in both victory and defeat. The way that they stepped up against seasoned competition on a national stage showed them all clearly what hard work can accomplish.

The players are:
Front row (from left): Katy Vollum, Bridget Panas

Back row (from left): Megan Sharp, Sage Parker, Madison Caudill, Nicole Guinn   

Also, a special thanks goes to Caroline Fletcher who participated on this team during the local and regional tournaments.