So Cal Blues earn national crown

Huntington Beach resident Brooke Thulin played on the Southern

California Blues girls Under-16 team that won a national championship on

July 30 at the Snickers US Youth Soccer National Championships held at

Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

In the division’s title match against the Prince William Sparklers of

Virginia, April Pettigrew scored in the 82nd minute to give So Cal Blues

a 1-0 overtime victory.

With the triumph, the So Cal Blues became the first Far West Regional

champion to win the division national championship since 1996.

The win also avenged an earlier 1-0 loss to Prince William.

The So Cal Blues also scored tournaments over the Cleveland

Internationals (1-0), and the Dallas D’Feeters (2-1).

“It was an awesome experience,” Thulin said. “This is a real close

group of girls, and we really played well as a team. We had a blast in

Florida.”

In addition to winning the national championship, Thulin (a starter at

midfield) and the So Cal Blues also won championships at the Surf Cup,

Pleasanton, League Premiere Division, League Cup, and State Cup, during

the course of the season.

A two-year varsity performer who will enter her junior year at Edison

this fall, Thulin was the lone local player for the Blues. She has played

soccer since age four, played in AYSO Region 56, later with the South

Coast Heat, then moved on to play for North Huntington Beach (NHB) for

three years, before joining the So Cal Blues U16 squad.

Thulin, who earned All-CIF status in soccer with the Chargers, also is

a member of Edison’s varsity track and field team. She also is part of a

foursome that holds the school record in the 4 x 200, and at the 2000

Sunset League Championships, Thulin placed third in the 100, second in

the 200, and second in the 4 x 100.

In addition, she’s a three-time Western Regional champion in Flags

competition through the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards program, and

has been on the Olympic Development State team for the past two years.