‘A true team’: Wichita girls soccer 13U team wins national title at Presidents Cup

A local girls soccer team claimed a national championship on their home turf.

The under-13 team for Kansas Rush Wichita Academy concluded an undefeated path to a title with a 3-0 victory over Beadling (Penn.) 2011 Girls West in the finals of the U.S. Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup on Tuesday at Scheels Stryker Sports Complex.

The winning roster, made up entirely of Wichita-based players, was Marisol Bernal, Zoe Brown, Alice Dody, Blakley Finley, KJ Gray, Paige Grosser, Ellie Hein, Kollins Hon, Laney Klein, Brecken Lacy, Breckyn Marsh, Lily Palmer, Gemma Redcorn, Mia Rochester, Alexis Sacks, Stephanie Sells, Kenzie Stout and Jenna Thompson.

“I’ve only been with this team for about six months, but they’ve been an absolute pure joy to coach,” Kansas Rush Wichita manager Travis Stipp said. “They’re a team that is always wanting to train, always wanting to be together, always wanting to play and that makes them so easy to coach. This championship was just the culmination of a lot of hard work and their commitment to being out there, traveling, playing and training.”

The team won a regional-qualifying tournament to earn a spot in the prestigious national event, which brought 104 boys and girls teams of all ages to Wichita. It was the second year in a row Wichita has played host to the national tournament, thanks to the efforts of Visit Wichita.

Kansas Rush Wichita opened the tournament with three straight victories in pool play, including a thrilling, 3-2 match against Beadling, the Pennsylvania team they would meet again in the finals.

The team collected a 3-1 victory in Monday’s semifinal, then dominated the rematch with Beadling in Tuesday’s championship. Lacy, Sells and Bernal scored the three goals in the final.

“What stands out the most about this group is that they play as a true team,” Stipp said. “There’s not just one standout. It’s all of them. They all understand their role and understand that we’re not going to accomplish things like this without being a member of a team. They know it’s not just an individual effort and that’s why this group is so special.”