The Girls of Summer
7/4/03
When the U13
Michigan Hawks (Girls Soccer) won their 2nd consecutive State
Cup last October, they knew they’d be receiving an automatic bid to the
prestigious Region 2 Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa against some of the
best teams in the nation.
And while the Hawks draw talent from around the state, Novi residents
Jamie Fratto, Katie Chaklos, and Jenna Carosio, also knew they’d get to
represent the City of Novi as well as the entire state of Michigan.
They opened up Saturday with a hard-fought 1-0 win over archrival and
Ohio State Cup Champion, Ohio Premier. On Sunday, they pounded Nebraska
4-0…The Hawks were rolling in this single-elimination pressure packed
competition.
Monday they faced the Kentucky State Champs, and once again prevailed
5-1, to put them into the semi-finals.
Minnesota
was next on the docket, and the Hawks brought their “A” game and
defeated the Minnesotans 5-0.
The finals were set. They would face
Missouri
powerhouse St. Louis Busch, a team the Hawks have played before, and
these two heavyweight organizations go at each other like Ali-Frazier.
St. Louis Busch is routinely ranked in the Top 10 Nationally, and the
Michigan Hawks U13 are ranked 14th nationally according to
nationalsoccerranking.com.
At the end of regulation, the score was tied 0-0, as neither team would
yield. After 2 overtimes, the skies opened up forcing a lengthy rain
delay. When the teams took the field to resume play, the Hawks dominated
the flow, but an opportunistic goal by St. Louis Busch was the
difference in the 1-0 triple overtime final.
Congratulations to St. Louis, and congratulations to the Hawks. In a competition like this, these
young ladies all came out winners.
(c) 2003 Novi
Information Network
www.novi.org
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Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and
motivational speaker. His passion for sports comes in part from
his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand. "Behind
every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings"
said Fratto. "These athletic endeavors often serve as a
metaphor for the game we call life."
Bernie is also the voice of Novi Wildcat Hockey
and host of Wildcat Face-off, a local
radio program dedicated to youth sports in Novi.
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