We Miss The "Happy Warriors"!

The Happy Warriors Sharing a Laugh Before Kickoff

Last year, the club formed a U-14 team (rising to U-15 this year) that had not existed in the year prior. After June tryouts, 15 girls came together in the summer of 2006 from a number of town travel teams - Londonderry, Hollis, Windham, NGSA -- and a couple of higher level programs -- the Classics and the Inter-Bandits. We were a little concerned about our ability to knit together such a diverse bunch at such a late point in the girls' respective development but we had done it once for our now U-17s so we thought we might be able to do it once again. Its a project worth undertaking because it is at this age that many girls in town travel programs begin to realize that they are about to make a big step up in playing intensity and competitiveness when they try out for their respective high school programs. They want and need something more than they have been getting in their original playing settings.

So we started the girls' development as a team with our annual preseason camp at Kimball Union Academy. Right away, we knew we had something quite unusual on our hands. All of these girls loved to have fun. They loved to hang out, joke, laugh and goof around and also they were all good athletes who loved to train too. There were no egos, no petty jealousies. They were open to each other and this new and, for many, more intensive soccer environment. I have never seen one group of 13 year old girls like this.

This amazing group also likes to play hard. As the fall season unfolded, the girls' play was marked by speed and strength. These girls throw themselves around the park with complete abandon and it can be fun to watch. Over time, the girls got a nick-name -- the "happy warriors." They are warriors in the sense that when they play they are intensely competitive and play with such ferocity. Yet they are always "up." They smile, they joke and they always support each other.

It was not until our annual March trip to the Beach FC Spring Classic Tournament in Virginia Beach, that we began to realize that the girls would be able truly to compete at a high level. There, they went toe to toe with premier level teams from Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts coming out with a 1-1-1 record. Great slide tackling, strong play in the air, excellent movement off of the ball, and strong finishing all came together. Although the girls had a less than convincing State Cup run thereafter, a lot of that could be explained by a number of key injuries and absences. When the girls came back together for summer tournament play, healthy and with a full roster, they took the championship at the South County Seaside Classic.

For us the proof of the girls' growth as players was how they fared in their respective high school tryouts. 10 out of the 15 girls has stepped onto varsity squads. 2 of the remaining 5 are not yet in high school and the balance are leading their JV teams. We are enjoying watching the girls in their high school games and we are looking forward to seeing them at the tryouts in late October/early November.

We miss the Happy Warriors and we want them back!