Local Beadling West squad to compete for national cup in Denver, CO
CHIPPEWA TWP. — Making the United States Youth Soccer National Cup in a given season is no easy feat, with teams from across the country vying for eight spots.
But for the Beadling West girls soccer club, it will be competing in its third straight National Cup when it plays in the girls U15 Super Division at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Denver, CO., beginning on Monday, July 20.
“It has been a great run and it makes me feel really good about our team because we have great chemistry when we play together,” Central Valley sophomore Gia Guandolo said. “Being able to make it three years in a row, it has been a fun ride.”
Led by Moon Area boys high school soccer head coach Tyler Blake, this Beadling squad is comprised mostly of players from Beaver Valley high schools, including Blackhawk, Central Valley, Moon Area and West Allegheny.
Sometimes, there is turnover each year, with players jumping from club to club. But for this squad, most of these players have been with each other since they were 8-9 years old.
Along with the strong nucleus, every player that has been added to fill out the roster has meshed well with the team, making a run to the National Cup possible.
“They are always hungry and are ready for more. They enjoy the process, the work that they have to put in, are ready to go year-round and always want to get better,” Blake said. “It is always fun to come to training when you have a group like that.”
While the team has found bundles of success throughout the past three years by making the National Cup, this year’s team looks a lot different from a preparation standpoint.
With the group gaining another year of experience and maturity, Blake has seen a different level of focus that he hasn’t seen from them before, which has allowed them to find more success in games and in tournaments.
“We have put a lot more effort into practice this season than we have done in previous years,” Blackhawk sophomore Lexi Gleghorn said. “We have raised the level of our game completely because of the focus that we have in practice.”
Outside of the increased effort in practices that has given the team confidence, the Beadling West squad will also have a piece of the puzzle at nationals that was missing last season.
Last year, Beadling went 0-3 in group play, in large part because it was without its goalkeeper.
“This year, we are coming back with that anger and embarrassment that we felt last year and want to play much better,” Guandolo said.
Along with a full squad, the group has a tight-knit bond which has been showcased this season throughout its run.
From finding ways to win when things look bleak to playing in the top flights of tournaments and rising to the occasion, this Beadling West team has turned back the clocks and is focused on the team goal instead of individual stats or accolades.
“From the beginning, this group has been all about their teammates scoring a goal more than themselves,” Blake said. “It is cool to see in the culture that we have today that they are old school and care more about each other than individual success.”
Beadling West will begin their cup run against Sporting Iowa Central on July 20, followed by Stafford Revolution on July 21, before wrapping up group play against Future FC on July 22.
If the team can make it out of Group A with the top spot, it will face the winner of Group B in the championship match on Friday, July 24.
Ethan Morrison is the sports reporter for the Beaver County Times. Contact him at emorrison@usatodayco.com and follow him at EthanMorrison26 on X.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Local Beadling West squad to compete for national cup in Denver, CO
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