INDIANAPOLIS – With only 45 seconds left in overtime play, the Lady Bluez narrowly missed advancing to a game that would have propelled them to the championship game.Lady Bluez’ playoff season ended when the team from JB Marine of Missouri punched in a goal to win a double overtime match, 2-1, in the Regional II semifinals in Dayton, Ohio.
“The girls played awesome,” said Steve Campbell, director of coaching and player development for the St. Francis Soccer Club (SFSC). “We were inches away from advancing to the finals and moving on to the Nationals. It was one of those games that could have gone either way.”
The Bluez (girls under 13 years) had swept through divisional play during the week, garnering wins over teams from North Dakota, Kentucky and Ohio before squaring off with JB Marine on June 29.
“When we were on OT and the girls’ legs were like Jell-O, that was the fuel that kept us going,” said Bluez head coach P.J. Orlando, who shares duties with assistant Autumn McClatchy. “We all knew that what we were playing for was for more than just us – it was for everyone who watches us, whether from up close or at a distance. I couldn't be more proud of the girls and what they've accomplished.”
Lady Bluez team members are: Amanda Annee (Indianapolis), Kristen Bellinger (Columbus), Haley Bird (Fishers), Kellie Cavanaugh (Mooresville), Samantha Dewey (Indianapolis), Alessandra Fistrovich (Indianapolis), Maddie Fleet (Indianapolis), Kylie Hohlt (Fishers), Emily Hopkins (Greenfield), Braegan Lyon (Indianapolis), Emma Myers (Indianapolis), Kylie Terwilliger (Indianapolis), Kaitlin Wells (Indianapolis), Alexis Corda (Greenwood) and Mary Brockman (Indianapolis).
In mid-June, the team earned their way to the regionals after winning the 2010 U.S. Youth Soccer Indiana State Cup and the Indiana Challenge Cup. It was SFSC’s first state championship in the club’s 12-year history.
Team managers are Amy Fistrovich and Joe Fistrovich.
The St. Francis Soccer Club, whose president is A.L. Smith, has 30 competitive travel teams, and serves more than 1,000 youngsters annually in recreational play. It also has an outreach program for developmentally disabled children and an adult co-ed league.
SFSC, sponsored by St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers, has playing fields at Arlington Ave. and Stop 11 Road on the city’s far south side.
Registration for the fall recreational play is now under way. To register and to learn more about the St. Francis Soccer Club call 317-783-8849, or visit its Website at www.stfrancissoccer.com.
