TOP PLAYER: Lindsay Brown, right, shown playing for Mater Dei this past school year, is a key player for a club team, Slammers FC, that will compete this weekend for a national championship in Arkansas. ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER FILE PHOTO |
Mater Dei players lead club team into soccer nationals
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Three Monarchs teammates head to Arkansas in search of a championship.
On the surface, Lindsay Brown, Darien Vercillo and Mary-Grace Schmidt couldn't have less in common. They have different hobbies and hang out with different circles of friends. Yet when it comes to soccer, the trio can finish each other's sentences.
In the fall, the upcoming seniors will try to lead Mater Dei to a Trinity League soccer championship together. But as members of the under-17 girls Slammers FC, the game that is responsible for their close friendship has caused equal amounts of frustration and jubilation the past two summers.
"Both years put a lot of salt on our wounds and we wanted revenge," midfielder Brown said.
The Slammers won the State Cup in 2006 and 2007, only to lose twice in the semifinals of the Far West Regionals. During their first trip to Hawaii, it took penalty kicks to knock them out of the tournament after ending regulation tied.
This year, the team hoped to break its postseason losing streak and not only make the finals, but advance to the National Championship in Arkansas. Their postseason journey did not go as planned. They were defeated in the finals of the State Cup tournament by Real So Cal. The loss relegated them to a wild-card berth and they would face an uphill battle as underdogs in a more difficult bracket.
But unlike the past two years, they avoided a third disappointing finish by winning, 4-2, in the semifinals. Then a single goal meant all the difference as they earned their first trip to nationals by winning, 1-0.
"I'm so excited," defenseman Schmidt said. "It's been one of my dreams since nationals was an option for us. We have worked really hard for it since we were young and I hope that we can finish it off as a team."
On Saturday, the girls will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas as true underdogs. While Nationals will be an entirely new experience for Vercillo, Schmidt and Brown, the same can't be said for the competition.
In a four-team round-robin, theirs will be the only team without championship experience. The girls, however, have a cohesiveness that you can only achieve after years of practice. Vercillo and Schmidt have been playing on the same soccer teams year-round since they were 8.
"I couldn't imagine playing without Lindsay," goalkeeper Vercillo said. "I know exactly where she's going to be at all times. Mary, too, because she's played with us for a long time."
Nearly four years ago Vercillo was struggling as a field player. Then, because of an injury to the starting goalie at the time, she was asked to try playing perhaps the most important position in soccer: goalie.
"They just threw me in the goal because they had no one else to throw in," Vercillo said. "I had no idea what I was doing, then when I got in the game it became natural. I worked my butt off."
Now, with Vercillo, whom West says has "excellent instincts," the three will have their chance to experience their first championship. While victory may be a long shot, one thing seems certain: They will play like the Slammer's team motto, "together."
"I hope we can be there for each other," Schmidt said. "I hope we can finish it off and make everything that we have worked for happen."
When nationals are over, the trio can go back to watching movies together and staying up late talking on the phone. However, one day, the sport they love will guide them apart.
After next season, Brown plans to play for Notre Dame and Vercillo for South Carolina, while Schmidt still is considering several options. For now, their focus is on winning a club national championship and becoming leaders for Mater Dei.
"The three girls just bring so much experience and wisdom and really just as the backbone of our program," Mater Dei girls varsity soccer coach Matty West said.
Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com
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