The 2020-2021 soccer season has been nothing short of a success for 16 local 7th grade girls. In August 2020, 16 girls joined together to play for Florida West F.C.

Throughout the season the 2008 U-13 Florida West ECNL-R girls have come together as a talented team and have begun to achieve success on the soccer field. The team includes girls from Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach, Lehigh Acres, Gateway, North Fort Myers, Naples and Fort Myers.

Coached by Brandon Bennett, the girls saw their first tournament win early in the season at the 2020 Labor Day Tournament in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The team then proceeded to win the championship at the 2020 Advent Health Columbus Day Classic in Tampa, Florida. In November, the team made it to the championship game in the Plantation Thanksgiving Classic held in Naples, Florida. After holding a steady game with a 0-0 score at halftime, the local squad was ultimately defeated by the No. 1 team in the state from Boca Raton. Taking home silver at this Thanksgiving tournament they held their heads high and continued to train and work even harder. The girls found success again in January at the Naples Cup, with an 18-0 goal differential at the January 2021 tournament, taking home the championship.

In addition to these tournament results, in May 2021 the team advanced to the Final Four of the 2021 US Club Soccer Florida Cup in Melbourne, Florida. At the Final Four the girls won the championship game in double overtime and were crowned Florida Cup U-13 State Champions. Earning this State Title qualified the team for the July 16-20, 2021, National Cup XX Finals 2021 in Commerce City, Colorado, where it will compete for a National Title.

And if that is not enough, these girls earned first place in the ECNL (Elite Club National League) Regional league, defeating teams across the east and west coast of Florida. They finished the league with a 14-0-1 record, scoring 50 goals total while only conceding five goals. With this league record, the team is the League Champion and will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina,this month to compete in the Regional League Championship as the top seeded team of the 8 total teams from Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia.

With a busy travel season, community support is invaluable to the team. If you would like to donate and support these 16 hard-working student athletes, please visit: https://givebutter.com/ FloridaWestFCNationalCup

After donating, be sure to join the team on social media so you can stay up to date on the bright future of these girls. Find us here! https://www.face-book.com/FWFC2008G

Florida West F.C. U-13 roster

* Mackenzie (Mickey) Molina, #7

* Maryah Maldonado, #16

* Sarah Lakoma, #5

* Sophia Bregula, #10

* Trista Timm, #2

* Garyl Wilson, #4

* Hannah Busenbark, #8

* Isabella Labno, #8

* Katelyn Harakal, #6

* Lea Scotti, #9

* Lila Dinkel, #3

* Abigail Craig, #11

* Amanda Melton, #17

* Angelya Burberry, #15

* Claudia Papenfuss, #12

* Ella McNulty, #1