Kumba Girls U-18 Learn Lessons Beyond the Game from the Bahamas Women's National Team

March 22, 2007 ... The Under 18 Kumba Girls traveled to Nassau, Bahamas in hopes of adding another notch in their list of notable opponents defeated by this highly experienced and successful girls team.  They continue to add to their 2007 championship campaign as they defeated the Bahamas Women's National Team 9-0 on Saturday at Nassau's Queen Elizabeth Sport Centre.  The team arrived Thursday and enjoyed some well deserved relaxation and fun in the sun before participating in a training match on Friday afternoon in preparation for Saturday's evening match.  The Bahamas national team will be fighting for an opportunity to compete in CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) for a place in international competition.

"It was great to be able to experience playing in an international game, especially against the Bahamas national team." according to team co-captain Anna Chase; "They were all very friendly and warmly welcomed us to their country."

Scoring goals were: Jessica Deese, Jordan Kent, Ellie Einhorn, Christy O'Connor, Leah Hirsch, and Valorie O'Brien.

In the end it wasn't the victory that mattered most but instead the experience the team will bring back with them.  "We are very fortunate in the U.S. to have access to many resources in the form of equipment, money, and facilities.  More importantly women's soccer in the U.S. holds a high place in our sports hierarchy and within our society whereas in other cultures women's sports are still struggling for the same importance as men and access to the same resources.", said George Sasvari, Girls Director of Player Development for FC America and Head Coach of the U18 girls.  "Their team (the Bahamas) brought passion and competitive spirit to Saturday nights game and you could see that they are starving for the opportunity to play regularly against high level competition.  They were very young and included a pool of 25 players some as young as 14 years old." 

According to team co-captain Nikki Stutz, "Going to the Bahamas was an amazing eye-opening experience for our team. We came back with a sense of appreciation for the opportunities we have been given in America, even the simple ones like quality soccer balls. More than that, though, we came back with hopes of spreading our love for the game to the youth of the Bahamas in the future and making soccer more accessible to them.  We came back appreciative of our opportunities and even more passionate about soccer than ever."

In the Bahamas soccer is still making a comeback and competing to become the number one sport.  Women's soccer is still very new and the national program is still in a stage of infancy.  The Kumba team has set a goal of returning on a regular basis and bringing equipment to be donated to young female players in the Bahamas as well as working with young girls to inspire them about soccer and their own development.  Additionally this will become an annual part of every year's U18's schedule with a trip to the Bahamas to play the National team and share in player development.