National Champs! Laguna Beach Girls Cap Improbable Run

With a population of just 22,723 people, and less than a quarter of those families, Laguna Beach does not have the largest pool in Orange County from which to draw youth soccer players. Despite that, 10 girls from the city made the unlikely journey to rise against the odds and win the AYSO Nationals Cup this past week in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Girls Under 10 team, known as the Blue Lagunas, started their season by winning the Orange County AYSO EXTRA Championship last December. This qualified them to compete for the California State EXTRA Championship, which they won this past March.

Last week, the girls flew to Knoxville to represent Laguna Beach in the AYSO National Games against 23 other teams from around the country. The tournament took place during an unseasonably hot heat wave, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees most days.

The girls showed their heart in the inclement weather and worked their way through the first five games of the preliminary pool round, with the following results: 6-0 vs. Florida, 3-0 vs. Santa Monica, 10-0 vs. Tennessee #1, 5-0 vs. Chicago, and 7-0 vs. Tennessee #2. This qualified them for the finals match against La Quinta, also winners of their respective pool.

It was a back-and-forth physical battle, as both teams fought to win. The Blue Lagunas would score first, with two goals in the first half. With 10 minutes to go, La Quinta would find the back of the net off of a corner kick, and redouble their efforts. Finally with five seconds left, Laguna Beach would get a break away and score one last time just as the final whistle blew, giving them a 3-1 victory and the Nationals Cup Championship.

“The girls have worked incredibly hard this past year, and have achieved something that they will be proud of for the rest of their lives”, said coach Kent Pachl.

Coach Ole Nielsen added, “This has been a real community effort. We felt like we had the whole city behind us as we traveled 2,000 miles away to compete. It has been a pleasure to coach these positive and motivated young ladies for the past six seasons, and we look forward to more great experiences.”

The girls now wrap up 11 months of playing that saw a record of 40 wins, 1 loss, and 3 ties, with 163 goals scored for and 21 against.

Pictured (left to right): (photo credit Glossy Finish)

Front: Hallie Carballo, Peri Brennan, Jordan Morris

2nd: Riley Russo, Anika Nielsen, Morgan Van Alphen

3rd: Ella Pachl, Kennedy Barlow, Cosette Chesley, Piper Naess

Back: Coach Ole Nielsen, Coach Kent Pachl