The Nexus

As Lauren Koenig (11) situated herself on the penalty kick line, she tried to imagine that the goalkeeper in front of her was her dad, that she was just practicing another penalty kick and that this wasn’t the most crucial moment in her soccer career. But in truth, if she missed this shot, her team would automatically lose in the finals of a national tournament.

From July 18–26, Koenig’s team, San Diego Surf, competed in the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, where the best teams from each region gathered in Massachusetts.

When the team members reached the finals of the tournament against the Dallas Texans, both teams played stellar defense, keeping the score tied at zero, even as the game went into overtime. The winner was to be determined over penalty kicks.

“Taking my penalty kick was both the best and worst thing about the tournament,” Koenig said. “It was basically the hardest thing I’ve ever done because our championship was on the line. You either stay in the game, or you just lose. You get this huge rush of adrenaline, but once you actually make that goal, it’s the best thing ever, and luckily I made my penalty kick.”

In the seventh round of penalty kicks, when the Texans missed their shot, the San Diego Surf teammates watched anxiously as Sarah Adams (10) prepared to take her penalty kick.

Adams kicked the ball and the moment the ball passed the goal line, her teammates erupted into cheers.

Because the team members have been together for about six years, they’ve become a family over time, all united by the common goal of winning Nationals.

“We’ve won a lot of other different championships but not ever nationals like this,” Koenig said. “It’s been our dream to win this ever since the time we were 8 years old.”