NYSG Girls'00 Ranked Number One

Three Scarsdale athletes learned last week that they are members of the number one youth soccer team in their age group in the United States. Julia Dohle, Olivia Higgins and Allison Stafford, all seventh graders in Scarsdale, are part of the NYSG Girls' 00 team that is undefeated and has not lost a game in over a year. The girls were first exposed to soccer through participation in the Scarsdale Youth Soccer Association.

New York Soccer Club (NYSC) is a highly competitive youth soccer organization that is dedicated to bringing the highest levels of coaching and leadership training to student-athletes in Westchester and southwestern Connecticut. Players are selected each spring in a highly competitive process. The NYSC Girls '00 team practices from late summer through the end of the school year, with three to four practices per week, regular weekend games and participation in out-of-town tournaments. Games are played against youth soccer teams in the mid-Atlantic and northeast.

This past Memorial Day weekend the team competed in the 2014 EDP (Eastern Development Program) Cup in Hammonton, New Jersey, just outside Philadelphia. In a thrilling championship game, NYSC Girls '00 defeated the #1 ranked team in New Jersey, the South Jersey Elite Barons, 1-0 on a last minute goal. As a result of this tournament win, the team's national ranking catapulted to the #1 ranked Girls 13 and under soccer team in the United States. The ranking is based on points that are tied to the level of competition the team faces and its success on the field.

Allison Stafford plays center defense, Olivia plays right defense and Julia is the goalkeeper and all are on the starting team. Allison hopes to continue to play competitive soccer with her teammates at Scarsdale High School and in college.