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MPS Courage

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Spring 2006 Press Releases

Spring 2006

Leigh Banting Joins Courage as Assistant Coach

July 2006. After a successful stint leading the Sterling Pride to the top of WAGS Division 1, Leigh Banting joins the Courage as assistant coach replacing long time Courage coach and founder, Bob Belair.

Under Banting's guidance, the Pride became the first and only WAGS team to start in Division 5 and move all the way to the Championship of Division 1. "There is so much to playing good soccer, and quite frankly, many players burn out way too early", said Banting. "Over the years we were able to efficiently work our way up to Division 1 with the same core group of players we began with in Division 5 by building up their soccer skill and knowledge over time." Ten of the Pride players earned Division 1 scholarships.

Banting holds a USSF National "D" license. He represented Exeter University between 1975 and 1978 in the British Universities Championship at Soccer, Rugby, and Cricket. Between 1978 and 1991, Leigh played London league soccer for Weybridge Town and Southborough Arrows, and then for the British Football club of Toulouse in France.

Belair was the original Courage coach and also served as the travel director for McLean Youth Soccer where he began the McLean Premier Soccer program. Bob will now step to the opposite sideline where he will continue to enjoy watching his daughter and the Courage play.

Fall 2005

Spring 2005

Spring 2004

Fall 2003

Courage Add Three to Begin Fall Season

July, 2006. Audrey Hughes, Kirsten Miller, and Liz White are the three latest additions for the Courage. The trio moves over from the Great Falls Freedom, adding skill and size to the Courage. "Audrey, Kirsten, and Liz are the type of high caliber players we are looking to add to the Courage," said Courage coach Ged Wood. "We look forward to to their immediate contribution."

The Courage will play the Fall 2006 in WAGS Division 2. "While it is always preferable to play in Division 1," added Wood "playing in 2 will give us the opportunity to refine some of the skills and tactics we have been emphasizing without the intense pressure of D1."

Courage Pounds Way to Columbia Invitational Semi-Finals

May 27-28, 2006. Showing a new found attack, the Courage charged through the preliminary rounds of the Columbia Invitational Tournament to earn a berth in the semifinals.

The action started Saturday morning against the BC United Fusion. Showing a skilled passing game, the Courage broke apart the Fusion defense. Audrey Hughes opened the scoring midway throught the first half sending a rocket screaming into the goal. The Courage girls extended their pressure in teh second half pushing there 1-0 halftime lead to a 4-0 final as Christina Popps, Kelly Abt, and Ana Clements added second half goals.

In the afternoon matchup, the team took on tough Kirkwood Premier. Popps added another goal and Abt two as the Courage dismantled Kirkwood on their way to a 3-0 win. The win ensured the Courage a berth in the semifinals.

Courage Ruffs up Piranhas. State Cup Final Four Again!

May 13, 2006. A trip to Richmond awaits the McLean MPS Courage as they blasted their way into the Final Four with a 3-1 win over the BEACH FC Piranhas. The Courage jumped on the Piranhas early. After the Courage thwarted a Piranhas attack, Jordan Walker dropped a ball over the top to Maria Creamer. Creamer put the ball in front of the goal where Kelly Abt pushed it by the keeper.

rom there, Emma Ruffin took over. Easily settling a nice cross from the right side, Ruffin then slammed a ball past the onrushing Piranhas goalie and into the lower left corner of the goal giving the Courage to a 2-0 halftime lead. Midway through the second half the Courage were awarded a free kick only three yards away from the end line. No Problem. Ruffin coolly placed the ball into no more than a three foot window over the goalie’s head and off the far post for a 3-0 Courage lead. The Piranhas scored late for a 3-1 final tally. The Courage will again face the BRYC Azul in the State Cup semifinals.

Shootout Sends Courage to Next Round of State Cup

May 6, 2006. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t the easy way, but the Courage advanced in State Cup play with a 2-1, penalty kicks victory over the Herndon Blaze. Early on, it looked like it would be an easy day for the Courage as Kelly Abt put a shot in after ten minutes of play. However, despite constant pounding, the Courage could score no more. The Blaze evened the mark in the second half. After two fruitless overtime periods, the teams went to penalty kicks. Christina Popps, Kasey Kelley, and Carly Hafner converted the first three Courage PKs. And while the Blaze also converted their first three, things looked promising as Courage keeper Jane Aman was able to get a hand on all three. The Blaze keeper made a nice save on the 4^th Courage try. Aman right back, snuffing the 4^th Blaze attempt. In the fifth round, Jordan Walker stepped up and coolly place a ball in the net. When the 5^th Blaze attempt went high, the Courage was off to meet the Beach FC Piranhas for a berth in the State Cup Semifinals.

Courage/Azul on Par Again

April 30, 2006. Once again, the McLean Courage and Braddock Road Azul met. And once again in this fierce local rivalry the teams came away all tied up.

The game began with the Azul controlling the field. However, 15 minutes in, the Courage counterattacked resulting in a 1-0 lead after Kasey Kelley smashed a ball into the back of the net.

From there, the game evened out for the remainder of the half. Right before the half-time whistle, the Azul were given a free kick from the top of the box, which they netted to knot the score at 1-1.

The Courage took control for most of the second half. Using their size and speed, the Courage defense thwarted every Azul attack, while the Courage frontline kept the Azul defenders busy with constant attacking pressure. In the end, the Courage had to settle for another 1-1 tie against Virginia's reigning State Cup Champions.

Courage Overcomes Tough Foe in Opening Round State Cup Win

April 22, 2006. What does reaching the State Cup Semi-finals get you the following year? Apparently not much as the Courage drew first round foe Chesterfield United, which went 10-0 last fall scoring 33 goals and conceding only 2.

In an extremely hard fought contest on both sides, the first half opened with the unfamiliar foes wasting no time getting to know each other. The Courage threatend on the opening kickoff only to see Chesterfield methodically move the ball back down the field. The Courage came up empty on several corners and the first half ended 0-0.

The second half saw more of the same. Chesterfield had several opportunities on free kicks, but the stout Courage defense never yielded. The Courage finally broke through 20 minutes in when Jordan Walker sent a ball into the box. Stephanie Burns was waiting on the other end and placed the ball between the keeper and a defender. From there, the Courage locked down bringing home the 1-0 victory. Kudos to Chesterfield on a hard fought contest!

Courage Throttle Freedom

April 2, 2006. The Courage opened the Spring 2006 Divisional Season by downing the Great Falls Freedom. The scoring started midway through the first half when Campbell Millar one-touched a pass from Marissa Gitler to Kasey Kelley who slammed it past the Freedom keeper. Later in the first half, Maria Creamer shot past the Freedom defense on a Courage throw in and placed a ball just below the crossbar, making it 2-0. Millar kept the pace up 20 minutes into the second half when she found the back of the net, while Jordan Blessing put on the finishing touch slipping a ball low and past the keeper. Final score, 4-0. The Courage played its usual stifling defense led by defenders Jordan Walker, Meredith Doherty, Lizzy Belair, Carly Hafner and Allison Ancell.

Courage Shine at Jefferson Cup

March 25-26, 2006. The Jefferson Cup is one of the nation's premier youth soccer tournaments, drawing premier teams from New England, the Midwest, and all along the East Coast.

Playing in the U13 Premier Flight, the Courage first took the field against the International Football Flash from Pittsburgh, PA. Dominating from the start, the Courage peppered the Flash goal before finally breaking through late in the first half as a shot by Kelly Abt was knocked in by a Flash defender. The Flash posed no threat against a suffocating Courage defense led by goalie Jane Aman. The game was secured early in the second half as Abt claimed a goal of her own and Alley Adcock added the icing with ten minutes left in a 3-0 victory.

The Courage met the Hershey KickKats from Hershey, PA in their second game. The Courage were on the defensive early as Hershey rushed three players at every Courage ball. The game evened out in the second half. However, the game slipped from their grasp late in the second half as the KickKats knocked in a scrum goal for a 1-0 victory. The Courage took solace as the KickKats were eventually crowned the Premier Flight Champions.

Having to bounce back from the disspiriting loss, on Sunday morning the Courage looked to avenge a previous Jefferson Cup loss to the TCYSA Lady Twins White from Winston Salem, NC. Playing their best soccer yet, the Courage took a 1-0 lead as Stephanie Burns knocked in a diagonal cross from Kelly Abt. Goalie Jane Aman thwarted a breakaway as she left her line to upend the Lady Twins attacker. The game was put away in the second half when Kasey Kelley knocked a ball in off a free kick. The Courage defense took it from there as they never allowed a serious second half threat.

Courage Tie It Up at Icebreaker

March 18-19, 2006. The McLean Courage opened its Spring 2006 season in the St. Patrick's Day Tournament hosted by the Stafford Soccer Club. Playing in the top U14 division, the Courage first took on the PWSI Courage Red. After falling behind in the first half, the McLean girls tied it up in the second half on a shot by Stephanie Burns as the game ended 1-1.

In their second game of the day, the pattern repeated itself. The Courage surrendered an early goal to the Potomac Tornadoes only to fight back for another 1-1 tie on a blast off Jordan Blessing's left foot. The Courage ended the tournament on Sunday morning with a 0-0 draw with the NSSC North Stars. All in all a terrific opening effort in preparation for the prestigious Jefferson Cup next weekend.

Courage Add Three For Spring Season

February 2006. Continuing to draw the top players from the Washington area, the Courage girls welcome three new teammates as Alley Adcock, Jordan Blessing, and Emma Ruffin joined the Courage. Welcome to all!

Fall 2005 Press Releases

Courage Tie Up Bays; Finish Successful Division 1 Season

November 6, 2005. Moving up to Division 1 can be a challenge, but one the Courage showed itself well prepared for. By ending its season with a 0-0 tie against the Baltimore Bays, the Courage posted its 5th shutout in 9 Division 1 games. Finishing strong after a surprise call up to D1, the Courage looks forward to another season at the top level in the Spring 2006.

The Courage suffered only 3 defeats all season and picked up its first win in Division 1. Highlights of the past season include a tie against the Region 1 and Maryland State Cup champions, Laurel Premier, and a tie against the Virginia State Cup Champions, BRYC Azul. The Courage allowed only 6 goals against, and showed a consistent improvement over the course of the season.

Courage Fights Region 1 Champs to a Draw

October 30, 2005. A confident McLean Courage team needed a good showing against the Laurel Premier and got it, earning a 0-0 tie. Showing an improved attack in a mostly 50-50 contest, Stephanie Burns knocked in a header midway through the first half which was unfortunately negated by an offsides call. The Courage defense, led by Jordan Walker, Carly Hafner, Meredith Doherty, Lizzy Belair, Allison Ancell, and goalie Jane Aman, pitched its 4th shutout of the season.

Late Goal Against MATT

Propels Courage Forward

October 23, 2005. Showing its trademark resilience, the Courage never quit, ultimately defeating the MATT Spirit, 1-0. The Courage had most of the run of play before scoring late in the second half off a corner kick. The ball was headed 5 times before Christina Popps volleyed it into the goal.

Courage 0, Azul 0

October 2, 2005. Avenging last Spring's State Cup semifinal loss and continuing to close the gap with long-standing Division 1 teams, the Courage fought to a 0-0 draw with the BRYC Azul. The first half saw the Azul control the first ten minutes before settling into a 50-50 contest. The second half was more of the same until the final ten minutes when the Courage put the Azul back on their heels. As the Azul fought to hang onto the tie, the Courage pounded cross after cross and shot after shot at the defending State Cup champions. Alas, both teams ultimately settled for the 0-0 outcome.

Courage Raises $$$ for Hurricane Vics

October 1, 2005. Proving they are not just a bunch of pretty faces, the Courage had a blast as they washed cars and raised $1280 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Many thanks to Courage Parent Rob McDonald for organizing the event and to the Millars for providing a space near Greenberry's Coffee for the carwash.

Courage Courage Tripped Up by Loudoun.

September 25, 2005. Despite not giving up a clean shot on goal all day, the Courage came away on the short end of a 2-0 score against Loudoun.

The Explosion score on a PK in the first half after a questionable hand ball call. Later in the half, a Courage goal from 25 yards out by Kacey Kelley was disallowed because of an offsides call. The Courage defense kept Loudoun in check the entire second half before surrendering a goal off a corner with a minute left in the game.

Courage Ties Up MSC Dragons

September 18, 2005. A cupcake moving up from Division 2? Not so fast. Again showing it belongs with the top teams in Division 1, the McLean Courage took the fight to the MSC Dragons coming away with a 0-0 tie. The Courage controlled the first half, meticulously working the ball up the field, while stepping into the passing lanes to thwart each Dragon attack.

The second half was more of the same. The Courage attack continually pressured the Dragon defense, while the Courage defenders and the stellar goalkeeping of Kate Murphy held tight.

Courage Prepare for Division 1 at Dulles National Tournament

August 27-28, 2005. The Dulles National Tournament provided the McLean Courage with a good warm up for the upcoming Division 1 season. Facing two current and one recent WAGS Division 1 teams, the Courage displayed their trademark heart and skill. Playing State Cup finalist Loudoun Explosion in the first game, the Courage took a 2-0 lead on goals by Stephanie Burns before falling 4-2.

Next up was the Chantilly Arsenal. The Courage defense smothered the Arsenal all day allowing the attack to surge forward. Stephanie Burns struck first, followed by Kate McDonald and Campbell Millar as the Courage took the game, 3-1. The Courage came up short in their semifinal game against the MCSA Majestics, losing by a score of 1-0.

Courage Promoted to WAGS Division 1

July, 2005. On the heels of an impressive State Cup run and a divisional campaign during which it surrendered only 2 goals, the McLean MPS Courage was rewarded with a promotion to WAGS Division 1 for the Fall 2005 Season.