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Local girls represent Ballston Spa in national soccer tourney

BY STAFF REPORTS
news@theballstonjournal.com

The Lime Green Extreme soccer team of Ballston Spa successfully competed in a national three-on-three (3v3) championship soccer tournament held at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. over the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend. Attending the national championship at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports was the culmination of two years of intense training and competition for the girls.

“It’s an experience they’ll never forget,” said Scott Ostrander, whose daughter plays on the team. “Just to see the complex itself is an unbelievable experience. It’s gigantic. The look on their faces when we walked in was just priceless.”

Placing sixth overall in their 32-team division, Lime Green Extreme’s quest for the championship ended in the quarterfinals against the eventual second-place finisher.

The Lime Green Extreme soccer team (Photo courtesy Lime Green Extreme)

The highlight of the girls’ “magical experience” at Disney was meeting players from around the country who share their passion for soccer, according to a statement from the team.  Along the way they met and played against girls from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas and Georgia.

But Ostrander wouldn’t discount the trip to Disney World itself. “There wasn’t a lot of down time,” he said, “but the girls did get to go to Disney World and EPCOT. And they got to see the Magic Kingdom.”

While the 3v3 soccer format is uncommon in this area, it is widely played in the southern and midwestern areas of the United States. 3v3 soccer is played on small fields with an emphasis on fast-paced pass-and-shoot play.

Lime Green Extreme is a team of talented nine-year-old female soccer players from within the Ballston Spa School District. During 2010 and 2011, the team competed in local and regional tournaments in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Coached by Paul Kelley and Jason Miller, Lime Green Extreme placed in the top three during Northeast Regional 3v3 tournaments in Lancaster, Pa. in 2010 and Niagara Falls in 2011.  The tournaments qualified team members Grace Foti, Mikayla Kelley, Madison LeRoy, Morgan Miller, Jordyn Ostrander and Sarah Rule for play in the national championship tournament.

“The girls have been together for the last three years,” Ostrander said. “Hopefully they’ll stay together right through high school.”

Lime Green Extreme is sponsored by the Ballston Spa American Legion, Cole’s Spa Body Works, Saratoga International Group, the Ballston Spa Police Benevolent Association, Sunset Cafe, Vantage Point Bank/Matt Hickey, Collins Turfs Services, Mid-Town Wine and Spirits, Union Fire Company, O’Brien’s Pharmacy, Ballston Spa Elks Club, M&K Construction, Healthy Hart Fitness/Steve Hart, Ballston Spa VFW and Powmat Ltd.

“The sponsorships were just incredible,” Ostrander said. “We couldn’t have gotten a better response, just phenomenal.”

 

 

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