Murfreesboro, TN – The Javanon Girls U15 Aspire Team made history last month outlasting Nebraska in penalty kicks to become the first girls’ team from Kentucky to win the USYS National Championship. After advancing from five shut-out wins to reach the title game, Javanon was challenged to a sudden death scenario to be crowned champions.
After winning the Kentucky State Championship in May, Javanon started preparing for the National tournament held in Tennessee in July. Many of the girls had played together from an early age, with Goalkeeper and Co-Captain Alyssa Weidenborner playing for Javanon since she was six years old. “My teammates and I have been playing with each other for quite some years, so we all know how each other play and all know our roles within the team,” said Weidenborner.
That familiarity clearly helped the squad as they faced tough teams from Mississippi, Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Montana leading up to the final against Nebraska. Handling size and physicality challenges from these teams, Javanon managed to shut-out all five opponents leading up to the championship match even with losing their starting attacking midfielder for the rest of the tournament due to a sprained ankle in their second game. Head Coach Solo Qualah said it didn’t waiver the team’s focus. “We have a well-rounded team, and other players stepped up, and we didn’t miss a step. Next player up mentality.”
After a 2-0 win over Montana in the semi-final, it was time to zero in on claiming the title. Qualah kept the team motivated while reminding them to keep their cool. “The message for the final game was to stay calm and play our game. They stuck together and were able to accomplish that,” he said. Weidenborner echoed that adding, “Coach Solo helped to make all of us feel calm during his discussions with the team. He would help remind us where we needed to be as in our positions and that we were the best team out there.”
Javanon and the Nebraska team battled back and forth, scoreless all game and into extra time. With no decisive goal after regulation and overtime periods, the title came down to a shootout. The initial five rounds went with the scored still tied, and then it was sudden death. As the goalkeeper, it was all eyes on Weidenborner. “When we went into penalty kicks, nerves were all over the place,” she said. Javanon scored and Nebraska failed to execute on their last kick, earning the Kentucky team their place in the record books.
Weidenborner said there were tears of joy and happiness after the final whistle blew. “It was a surreal feeling because we were the first girls’ team from Kentucky to earn a National Champions title.” Javanon had made history in the Bluegrass.
Coach Qualah felt both pride and relief as the team celebrated. “We’ve managed to keep the majority of this team together, and it showed in how connected we were throughout this tournament. We earned this!”
The Club has an event planned to celebrate the team and recognize their hard work. And although this was the last year together for many of the girls, the memories of this historic championship run will last a lifetime.
*Both Coach Qualah and Alyssa Weidenborner will be honored at KYSA’s “Of the Year” Awards this month as Girls’ Competitive Coach of the Year and Female Player of the Year, respectively.*
