BOCA RATON, Fla. – Region I 2001s coach Sue Ryan summed up the mindset of most of the nearly 400 players attending this week’s US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional by using one of her player’s -- Victoria McKnight (Apalachin, N.Y.) -- as an example.
"She hit a full volley from 30 yards out," said Ryan, a member of the Long Island Soccer Hall of Fame, who spent 31 seasons as coach at Stony Brook College. "It was a great effort."
McKnight’s effort came in a 1-1 draw with Region III on Wednesday afternoon at Spanish River Athletic Park. She was a second half substitute who scored just nine minutes into the second half to tie the game.
"What I think is most impressive about that is most of these players are used to playing pretty much 90 minutes for their club teams back home," Ryan said. "They are used to being that go-to impact player and Tori came off the bench to score that goal and to me that's big time."
"She just came right in, hit the ground running, and scored that goal and had a great half," Ryan continued. "I think that is a lesson for all of these players that you play your role and do what is asked of you in the time that is asked. You serve your team well that way."
Ryan said of the 18 players on her team – 17 of them are captains on their club teams.
Here are Wednesday’s 2001s standouts that caught our eye on Day 4.
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