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Spirit Again Making Impression at SYL Finals

12/10/2016, 11:45am EST
By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

U16 Girls post another group win, represent six-team Spirit contingent


Super Y League / Washington Spirit VA is one of six Spirit teams at the SYL Finals

BRADENTON, Fla. – The Washington Spirit brand is certainly one of the most familiar names in girls’ and women’s soccer, from the 2016 National Women’s Soccer League runner-up side to its youth teams.

For the 2016 Super Y League North American Finals, the organization qualified an impressive six teams in this year’s event at IMG Academy. Among this group is the U16 Washington Spirit VA side, coming off a 3-0 victory against ACYS Spirit United on Saturday in Group A play.

Rachel Jackson recorded a brace, set up by Abby Fusca on both occasions, while Gillian Schiffer provided an impressive highlight with a corner kick goal from the left side. The U16s moved to 2-0-0 in the group stage, outscoring their first two opponents by a combined 9-1 margin.

“It’s a very talented group,” Spirit VA Head Coach Michel Vanderhart said. “The Washington Spirit is a little different than most other clubs. These girls come from different clubs in northern Virginia. We don’t get a lot of time practicing together, so they play in the summer and then we get together in November and they play again. It’s the same style of play from the pro team down to all our lower-level academy teams, so we try to play that style.”


Super Y League / Washington Spirit VA earned a 3-0 win Saturday at IMG.

While the Spirit name is peppered throughout the standings and brackets, this age group stands out as Washington won at this level during the 2015 SYL Finals.

“The Super Y is a league that we are very supportive of and it’s very important for our club,” Vanderhart said. “We’re really committed. The training, the coaches, we give them a whole experience. When we bring them here, we’re doing sessions in the hotel in the morning, working on tactics, everything.”

The genesis of the club’s approach traces all the way back up to the professional level, creating a collective presence for the aspiring contingent competing in high-level tournament competition.

“It’s very helpful. It’s a very special experience for the girls,” Vanderhart said of the professional connection. “There’s a lot of interaction with the pro team. Some of the players come out to the practices and the head coach Jim Gabarra, he helps and is supportive of the program and is supervising the coaching. You have this connection from the pro team all the way down to our youngest ages.”

As the Spirit organization continues to thrive from a development standpoint, helping lead the girls deep into an important tournament such as the SYL Finals is integral toward their growth as players.

“That’s a big part of playing soccer is learning to win and learning what it takes to win,” Vanderhart said. “Our primary focus is player development and style of play, so we’re not going to make any concessions to the way we play. But we come here, we try to win the games, we make changes to our lineups, addressing things that it takes to try to win the game. We scout our opponents. We take it very seriously.”

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