WAYZATA RAGE - "Beyond The State Cup"

With their State Championship Win, the Wayzata Rage earned a trip to Regionals held in Sioux Falls, SD (June 19-24th) to represent Minnesota and play against other State Cup Champions. 

The best of the Midwest took the fields in the first day of the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region II (Midwest) Championships at Yankton Trails Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Teams from thirteen states have earned their place as the state champions and have converged to determine who will represent the Midwest at the 2009 US Youth Soccer National Championships this July, 21-26, in Massachusetts.

The Wayzata Rage U16 had a very though draw facing the top team in the nation, Eclipse Select from Illinois in their first game. The game ended in a 4-0 win in favor of the Eclipse team. The Rage players battled hard but were outmatched in every category. A great experience for the girls and a realization of how much more work is needed to compete at this level.

Things did not get any easier the next day. The second game was against Kentucky’s state champion Mockingbird. The Rage fell behind early in the game by an excellent individual effort from the Mockingbird forward. The Rage had some excellent opportunities to tie the game but failed to capitalize. For the last 15 minutes, the rage pushed players forward trying to tie the game leaving their defense exposed. This proved to be costly as the Mockingbird counter attacks produced 2 late goals putting the game away. A consolation goal by Sarah Guidera in the last minute of the game gave the Rage something positive to carry on to the next game. The final score: Mockingbird 3- Rage 1.

Game #3 was against Ohio Premier, the MRL Premier Representative. Both teams could no longer advance with 2 losses and were playing for pride. They did not disappoint. It was a very entertaining game with an avalanche of goals as the 4-4 tie final score indicates. The Rage went ahead 2-0 in the first half by goals from Taylor Wodnick (great individual effort) and Jordyn Burns (curved ball directly from a corner kick) only to see their lead disappear in the first 15 minutes of the second half thru 2 set plays that caught the defense by surprise. The Rage managed to score again from an excellent 30 yards shot by Becca Peterson. Once again, a free kick well taken by the opposition tied the game at 3-3. Tired legs and 3 days of unbearable heat and humidity started to wear on the players. The Rage players kept working hard to find that winning goal and their efforts were rewarded by a 35 yard bullet from Taylor Wodnick giving the Wayzata Rage a 4-3 lead with minutes to go. Ohio kept the pressure on in the final minutes and scored on a header from a corner kick in the last minute of the game. The game ended up in a 4-4 tie.

The experience lived by the players and the coaching staff was beyond what they expected. It was extremely positive and gave everyone involved a chance to witness elite clubs in action , college coaches scouting top players for their programs, a wonderful facility and above all soccer played at its best.

The girls made a promise to be back next year better prepared and less intimidated to play with the top teams in the Midwest.