Tarrytown Eagles Enjoy Florida Experience

The Tarrytown Eagles American Youth Soccer Organization girls under-14 squad competed in the AYSO Nationals, July 4-11, at the West Palm Beach International Polo Club in Wellington, Fla.

Tarrytown played a friendly against a team in Florida and four games in the tournament. The Eagles went winless in their matches.

However, considering how well his team played against some of the toughest teams in the country, not to mention competing against them in conditions that weren't ideal, Eagles coach Hossein Fassa was very proud of his team's efforts.

"We played two teams from California, one from Michigan and another from Illinois in the tournament," Fassa said. "The first team that we played actually went on to win the tournament. They happen to be teams that were together for six years. They were very harsh competition. Against three teams that we played, the scores were 2-1 or 2-0."

Besides the tough squads his girls were up against, the heat took its toll on the Eagles.

"We played in 100 plus heat in Florida, which was very hard on the girls," Fassa said. "But they played under those conditions and I was very impressed with how those girls were able to keep it together."

Fassa said that his team "had a great experience and a great time."

From a soccer standpoint, Fassa said his team gained a lot while playing in the nationals.

"First game we played against the team in Florida we played in the evening, either 6:30 or 7," Fassa said. "It was pouring rain, they were more used to that than the heat. For the first time I saw them play a very organized game of soccer. We had the ball, we kept possession. I was really, really amazed at the change their game had taken. It was a completely different game than we started at the beginning of the year."

As important as this trip was to the players' development on the field, it was also important off the field. When the Eagles weren't playing soccer, they went to the beach, water park and saw a polo game among other things.

"They were staying in a hotel, sharing rooms, for some of them it was the first time they were away from home without their parents," Fassa said. "By the end of the trip a real bond had developed between all the girls. The last night we were there at the hotel all the girls were in the hot tub together, holding hands and singing songs."

Having his team experience that type of bonding is one of the things that made it worthwhile, according to Fassa.

"We may have not won a game down there but at the end of the day I'm not sure that was the most important thing," Fassa said. "I think the most important thing was the girls went and experienced a tournament where there were 220 teams altogether, which is huge. They had a great time."