OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — KC Athletics U15 Girls Soccer Team put Kansas City on the national map. With a 2-1 win against the San Diego Surf, they brought home the national championship win in the Elite Club National League for the first time since 2011. It is the highest level of youth soccer in the United States.
“It's unbelievable — that feeling you get when the whistle blew,” said head coach Vasil Ristov. “It's something that I would say, I wish everyone could experience it. There’s just no words to put it.”
Ristov says it was all about having the tactical advantage — learning the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent in a short period of time. But with the amount of sacrifice and grit from the girls on the team, he was confident they would play well.
“We’ve kind of adopted this little saying throughout the national tournament, that was basically, we came up with and it’s ‘Refuse to Lose,’” Ristov said. “It puts a target now on us. People are going to want to beat us. We’re just gonna have to keep going and repeat it.”
Team captain Lilly Reuscher says the outpour of community support has been overwhelming. Being able to share the win with their hometown makes it that much sweeter.
“We’re making history, you know? And it's just an incredible feeling to know that your name is in the books,” Reuscher said.
As the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team goes for the gold overseas, Ristov knows his girls will hold down the fort here at home base.
“I have no doubt they’re going to come back hungry to do it again,” Ristov said.“And obviously having Coach Vlatko Andonovski being from Kansas City, it gives the girls that much more drive to hopefully play for him one day.”
