Slammers win crown

Defender Christina Trenton of the Newport Beach Slammers said

getting out of California South was as hard as winning the national

championship, here at the 2002 Snickers U.S. Youth Soccer National

Championships at Maryland SoccerPlex Sunday.

“It’s the hardest state to win,” she said, in the aftermath of the

Slammers’ 2-1 victory over the Bethesda Eclipse in the under-14 girls

competition.

After the Slammers surrendered the first goal by Brooke Bumbry in

the 15th minute, the team refused to panic.

Krysten Bradshaw scored the tying goal in the 23rd minute and the

defender said she felt a rush of relief.

“That was the best feeling,” she said. “We always find a way to

win. We always come back.”

Striker Alexa Orand was also riding high after scoring the

game-winning goal in the 34th minute.

She noticed Bethesda goalkeeper Amber Campbell was having trouble

handling the ball and knew that could be a source of scoring chances.

Her goal came after a ball squirted free, giving her an easy tap-in.

Briana Bak’s free kick from 45 yards started the sequence for the

winning goal.

“We were anticipating it because her hands were wet,” Orand said.

“I’m just really excited.”

It was Orand’s third goal in the tournament.

Coach Walid Khoury credited the Slammers for a year of hard work

and for staying focuses in front of a pro-Bethesda crowd of more than

1,000.

“This is bigger than a college home crowd,” he said. “We answered

the question of who’s No. 1. I feel really good for the training.

They were training when other teams were on vacation.”

The Slammers made it to the finals on Sunday on the strength of

two victories and a 1-1 tie on Friday against the Atlanta Lightning.

Kirsten Commins got the tying goal in the 33rd minute to catapult

the Slammers into the final.

Earlier, the Slammers topped Team Chicago, 2-1, on the strength of

goals by Alexis Mielke and Orand, to improve to 2-0 after two games

in the national finals.

The Slammers qualified for the National Championships with a 2-1

victory over the Arizona state champion in Salt Lake City.

In addition to claiming the championship, the Slammers also were

distinguished with the tournament’s “Fair Play” award for “displaying

positive conduct on the field toward their opponents and game

officials throughout the competition.”

Additionally, Christi Yount was awarded the Adidas Goalkeeper

Award as the top goalkeeper in the Slammers’ division, chosen by the

coaches, state representatives and the National Championship

Committee.

The team, under the leadership of Coach Khoury and Manager Terry

Mazura, in addition to Yount, Orand, Mielke, Bak and Bradshaw,

included Britney Scannell, Crystal Wright, Christina Trenton, Vanessa

Fallon, Sammy Tiampo, Diana Signoriello, Kirsten Cummings, Tiffany

Harrison, Amy Klippert, Jamie Alvis, Tiffany Alvarez and Jessica

Mazura.