Few people might have anticipated that the Greenwich based Eastern FC Cheetahs  U14  girls premier soccer team would repeat their appearance at the US  Club Soccer National Cup Finals.  After all, having won their division last year, they were bumped up to the highest most competitive level of the Region A qualifier.  However, one  should never underestimate the talent, drive and heart of this team coached by Jason Simone.  Traveling to LaGrangeville, NY, the Cheetahs  took on several worthy opponents.   In the early minutes of their first game against the Massachusetts Premier Soccer Lady Crusaders,  Cubby  Stiefvater (Pelham Middle School) capitalized on an opportunity to shoot and score the first goal.  Play continued with both teams holding firm and no further goals being scored.  The afternoon game, played against the Aztec  Soccer White Flame, resulted  in a 0 -0 tie highlighted by the strong midfield play of  Hannah Withiam  (Greenwich Academy) and Izzy Mackell (Eastern Middle School).  The Cheetahs  took on their next challenger , hailing from Connecticut, the FSA Soccerplus Eagles.  Here  a chipped serve  to Tori Dunster  (Eastern Middle School) resulted in a good shot on goal that was blocked by the goalie.  However,  quick thinking Shannon Colligan (Greenwich Country Day School)  put away the rebound for this only goal of the game.    The strong defensive line led by Allie Haid (Greenwich High School) and the outstanding  goal tending  of  Katherine Goldsmith (Greenwich Academy)  caused the Cheetahs to shut out all 3 of their opponents,  yielding no goals!!  The Cheetahs were fierce.

In the final playoff game against the Massachusetts  Premier Soccer  Renegades, winner of their bracket, the Cheetahs were down at halftime 0-1.  However,  Shannon Colligan again came through for her team with a   goal scored with a high kick over the head of the goalie  tieing the game at 1-1.  The Cheetahs were pumped.     A foul  against the Renegades   resulted in a free kick for the Cheetahs.  Cheetah Erin Myers  (Convent of the Sacred Heart) calmly approached the ball from approximately 25 yards out and blasted a shot into the upper  right hand corner of the net.  The Cheetahs  now had the lead with  15 minutes remaining.    The girls could taste victory and relentlessly kept the ball from finding their challenger’s foot.  Siobhan Browning (Greenwich High School) put  the icing on the cake when she received a  serve  from Erin Myers which she successfully volleyed into the net.  The Cheetahs had their 3-1 victory and a berth in the National Cup Finals being played in Virginia Beach in late July.    Coach Jason Simone, who has coached  and inspired many of these girls for 4 years,  should be credited with  orchestrating the winning  strategy.  A total team effort of strong defense, solid goal tending, and the ability to capitalize on opportunities offensively  proved to be a winning formula for the Cheetahs.