Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia stood on the sidelines in disbelief, distancing himself from the girls on his Beach FC 98 Academy soccer team.
His squad had just suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss in the championship game in the Under-17 Girls division at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships held July 31 at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas.
“After the final whistle, I let the team have a few minutes alone. Then I let them know how proud I was of their performance. They really did play an amazing game and had an outstanding week,” Ingrassia said. “I let them know that in my heart of hearts, they were the champions who merely lost a game. We all feel we were the best team in the country.”
After goals by Madison Kennel (Redondo Union High School) and Myah Baksh (Peninsula), Beach held a 2-0 lead over Pennsylvania’s YMS Premier Xplosion while dominating possession in the first half.
Regrouping, YMS tied the game on a goal by Murphy Agnew in the 85th minute sending the contest into overtime. It appeared the game would be decided on penalty kicks, but Angew struck again late in the overtime period to give YMS a 3-2 victory.
Beach’s team was loaded with talent from South Bay high schools including Redondo’s Makayla Hughes, Madison Kennel and Eden Millan, Mira Costa’s Whitney Davis and Delaney Whittet, Peninsula’s Myah Baksh, Jennifer Burr and Mackenzie Christie and West Torrance’s Kimberly Butland, Emily Duenas, Megan McComas, Kelly O’Neill and Ruth-Maria Soto.
Beach had five of the top ten scorers in the tournament and was led by Whitney Davis, whose three goals was second to Agnew’s four goals.
Redondo Union’s head coach Shelly Marsden served as assistant coach for the Beach team and enjoys a special bond with many of the girls, not just those on her Sea Hawk squad.
“I’ve been coaching many of these girls since they were 9 and several more since they were 11 or 12 so it’s truly amazing to see how they have grown as players,” Marsden said. “They are extremely technical and very composed on the ball. Some of them are amazing attacking players and have become so intelligent in their system of play. Team chemistry is often overlooked in sports but this team really fights for one another making them even stronger collectively. It was a great run but so heartbreaking to come up short in overtime. Especially tough because we had a 2-0 lead and played well enough to win.”
The championship game was bittersweet for defender Makayla Hughes who will be attending the University of San Diego in the fall but not competing at the collegiate level.
“The final game was really emotional for me, knowing it would be my last club soccer game ever. But having my last game be for a national championship can never be taken away from me,” Hughes said. “To lose in the finals was absolutely devastating and heartbreaking. We had worked so hard to get ourselves into that spot, beating out thousands of teams to earn the spot. I’ve known most of my teammates for at least six years and couldn’t be prouder of the pure drive and dedication of my teammates. I know they will fight just as hard this next year to get back in that position.”
As the youngest player on the Beach team, goalkeeper Eden Millan wasn’t expecting to get much playing time in the tournament, particularly after veteran Ruth Soto was turning in a stellar performance in the first game.
“I joked in the first half that my time on the bench could allow me to work off my soccer tan in the Texas sun,” Millan said. “Never did I think that the invincible Ruth would get hurt on the first day. I cried twice that night. – not out of fear but from the pressure of not letting the team, especially Ruth, down. I had fleeting moments of doubt that this wasn’t my tournament to win. It wasn’t until the championship finals where nerves seemed obsolete. I was playing on the biggest stage of my life and felt this was my game to win. The loss was absolutely devastating. I don’t know any other team more deserving to lift that championship trophy than that Beach team.”
With the team losing only three players because of the age limit, Millan expects a return trip to the finals.
“It only took me one week to love a group of girls,” Millan said. “I may not walk away with a gold medal around my neck, but I get a lifetime of memories. My all-around game has vastly improved and I’m hungry to come back next year with my own team and win a national championship.”
