COMPLETE THEIR JOURNEY

field take more pride in helping these girls grow as people than any trophy they could have won. “As a coach, you hope that there is a lasting impact on their life and not just their soccer journey,” said coach Tim Grinstead. “I am very proud of these girls, and I take great pride in knowing that we set up an environment where they had choices in how to pursue their future success beyond soccer. To see them grow from little girls just having fun to successful adults ready to conquer the world is a great privilege.” Young added, “My overriding emotion is happiness.”

Championship, and secure a spot in the USYS National Championship, but we did it all as a team, not individually,” said one of the girls. “We all worked so hard together and we couldn’t have done it without each and every player there!”

While the USYS National Championship is the culmination of a long career playing youth soccer for Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer A, the skills, teamwork, and work ethic they have learned will continue to stick with them as many continue their soccer careers at the collegiate level. Those girls continuing their careers playing college soccer, credit what they learned in EPYSA for getting them there.

“Playing soccer for EPYSA has completely shaped me into the person I am today,” said one girl set to play college soccer this fall. “It has taught me the value of working hard to accomplish my goals and competing at all times for what is important to me. I think one of the most crucial lessons I’ve learned is that the most successful people are those with good character; the ones who help their opponents up after a foul, the ones who willingly shake hands after a tough loss, and the ones who ultimately realize that respect is earned by outstanding character just as much as outstanding talent. The strong competition and healthy environment provided by EPYSA will carry over with me into my college program.”

The coaches who have seen this team accomplish their goals on the

Even the girls who are not continuing their playing careers in college are not leaving the soccer field completely. Many of the Thorns are taking the opportunity to give back to their community, EPYSA, and the next generation of girls through coaching, refering, and mentoring younger players. “I believe that sports teach life-changing lessons and that everyone should be able to have these experiences,” said a player still very involved in EPYSA. “Soccer has always been an outlet for me when other things in my life become overwhelming, and helps me to channel my competitiveness into something healthy and rewarding. I feel very inspired to pass the love of this amazing sport on to the next generation of players through my role as a US Youth Soccer Certified Referee and as a volunteer Kickers coach.” Another player also stated, “The Thorns have such a unique team culture and I really want to pass that down to younger players. The culture of a team can really set the stage for how a season will go. I want to teach this to younger kids because I honestly believe that it’s one of the things that made the Thorns so successful.”

As this group of incredible individuals gets ready for their last run together as a team, competing at the highest level for the USYS National Championship, they know their success all comes down to sticking together. The Thorns team mantra for several years has been, “If One Goes, We All Go” and that could not be more fitting. “That’s what we say before every game and has become our team’s motto through all the ups and downs over the years,” explained one of the team’s leaders. “We go through everything together. We’ve seen each other go through injuries and come back and we’ve watched each other grow as soccer players and as people. So, getting to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being Presidents Cup National Champions and now competing against some of the best teams around the country is a full circle moment and it makes us feel very proud.”