WICHITA, Kan. — Sandpoint High School junior Ava Grae and senior Liliana Brinkmeyer, both part of the Timber Thorns North FC 07 Academy girls soccer team, defeated Illinois Chicagoland United Premier SC, 2-1, to win the 2024 U.S. Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup, held July 12-16 at the Striker Complex.
In the final, the Thorns scored in the first half on a long pass from Marisol Stosic (Boise High School) to Avery Leisen (Lewiston), and in the second half, Stosic scored on a penalty kick to extend the Thorns' lead to 2-0.
Chicagoland scored late in the second half.
In group play, the Thorns lost 2–1 to Chicagoland United Premier, with the only goal for the Thorns coming from Rasen.
On the second day, the Thorns drew 1-1 with Western Lehigh United SC of Pennsylvania, with Lasen scoring the Thorns' only goal.
In their final group game, the Thorns shut out Calcasieu SC of Louisiana, 2-0. Kennedy Hartzell (Lake City) and Raisen scored for the Thorns, while Liliana Brinkmeyer (Sand Point) also had a goal in the shutout victory.
In the semifinals, the Thorns faced off against St. Louis Scott Gallagher Elite Green SC of Missouri in a close game until the end, when a goal from Stosic gave the Thorns the lead, but the Missouri team scored a tying goal with 45 seconds left in the game.
In the shootout, Grace Hatch (Boise High School), Ava Grae (Sandpoint High School) and Lily Ball (Post Falls High School) each scored a goal, and the Thorns won 3-2 in the shootout to advance to the finals.
Teams from Tennessee, West Virginia and Montana also competed in the eight-team championship.
To qualify for the tournament, the Coeur d'Alene-based Thorns won the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Presidents Cup, held June 14-18 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The women's team drew 3-3 with Billings United SC of Montana in their opening match before defeating Columbia Premier SC of Washington 6-0, Seattle United of Washington 4-1, Flagstaff United SC of Arizona 7-0, Strikers FC of Montana 3-2 in the semifinals and Billings United SC 2-0 in the finals.
The Thorns North FC 07 girls academy soccer team won the 17 and under division at the U.S. Youth Soccer National President's Cup on Tuesday in Wichita, Kan. Front row, from left, Kennedy Hartzell, Lily Ball, Emerson Lakes, Mattie Fish, Marisol Stosic, Bailey Coster, Ava Grae and Liliana Brinkmeyer. Back row, from left, head coach Mark Plakolas, Katie Kovatch, Grace Hatch, Isabella Grimmett, Avery Lasen, Jayna Grote, Savannah Ross, Sloane Waddell, Olivia Smith and Cameron Fisher.
