FC Fredericksburg Locks up Spot
Late season charge sends Lady Gunners to Tampa
FC Fredericksburg Press Release - www.fcfred.com
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
FREDERICKSBURG, VA - The FC Fredericksburg Lady Gunners U-16’s started the season much stronger and used a late season win streak to gain entrance to the 2008 North American Finals in Tampa.
The team meshed right from the start and Coach Gerry Austin made sure that the team held their focus. The Ladies believed in themselves and had to endure a tough schedule in the South Atlantic Division with FC Triangle, Carolina Dynamo, Northern Virginia Majestics and both Richmond teams.
The Lady Gunners ended the month of June with a 2-0-2 record. Right from the start this year’s squad was to be different and they wanted to prove it to all.
The month of July came and the team had a tough spell with losses to the Richmond Kickers and Carolina Dynamo. The team record at the end of the month was 2-2-3 and they were sitting in last place in their bracket. Most teams would have folded under this pressure. However the Lady Gunners knew they put themselves in this position and would have to fight their way out of it.
The month of August arrived with Fredericksburg needing to win four games in six days to make it to Nationals in Tampa. This was by all means a mountain ahead of them but the Lady Gunners took it one game at a time. Up first was the Richmond Strikers who they tied in June. With the Gunners in the lead going into the second half, the Strikers came back to make it a close game, but Richmond fell short and the Gunners won 3-2. Next up were three away games over the weekend in Atlanta.
Coach Austin has coached in the past in Atlanta and made sure the team was prepared both physically and mentally. With it all on the line the Lady Gunners were determined to make it count. They won their first two games in Atlanta over Alpharetta on Friday night and the Atlanta Fire on Saturday afternoon. That left the Atlanta Silverbacks as the last obstacle to climb.
With the weather hot and playing on turf, the ladies endured and came away with a 1-0 victory, first place in their group and a berth to Nationals in Tampa.
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