All the state champions from the northeast gathered last week to battle on the field to see who would be crowned  regional champion.  It was a great honor for the Blizzard girls to be one of those teams that earned a berth to this elusive tournament.

This year's tournament was held in Lancaster, PA over the 4th of July weekend.  Opening ceremonies were held at Hersheypark Stadium.  It was an incredibly satisfying feeling to be a part and walk in the parade of champions knowing how hard we worked this last year to earn that title.  That feeling of accomplishment turned to anxiousness as we waited for tipoff of our first match the following morning.

We were paired up against Bayside from Rhode Island in our first game.  Stumbling out of the gates we conceded two early goals in the contest. We fought hard the remaining fifty minutes and the game ended by the same score.  Getting into the opponent's box was more difficult then ever before.  With Hersheypark only minutes away and a late game the next day, most of the team took the opportunity to shake off the loss with an afternoon full of rollercoasters and water rides.

Saturday brought another tough opponent to the field.  Blizzard squared off with the NY State wildcard Saratoga.  A physical team, the girls held their own but conceded a late goal in each half.  For a small club from a small state, we were consoled by the fact that the games were close and we had given our best.  With no pool at the hotel, the kids and coach were left to make due, turning the lobby into a living room and a night full of cards and laughs.

Sunday's contest was against the eventual pool winner Far Post soccer club out of Vermont.  Blizzard played an excellent first half but still found themselves down a goal at the break.  Three days of terrific teams finally wore down the girls.  Far Post found the net three times in the second half.

They say you learn more from a loss, and as a team we learned that we need to double our efforts that got us here in the first place.  Defender Maddie Maloney summed up her experience, "Regionals was an exciting and fun experience for me. The opening ceremony was a special experience that I will never forget. I think the whole tournament was organized very nicely. I enjoyed seeing all of the different teams come out and I enjoyed playing against them too. I have learned alot of things that I can do to become a better player from playing against other talented teams. I hope to come back next year and do even better than I did this year".

Exactly right Maddie....next year we will be even better and hopefully earn our way back to Regionals again!.