Soccer club makes history

The Braden River Soccer Club U14 girls team made club history May 23, becoming the first girls team to advance to the finals of the State Cup.

The Rage defeated Lakeland on penalty kicks in the semifinals May 22 to advance to the finals.

“Believe it or not, the team was actually not happy that they were playing for the state championship because in beating Lakeland, to send them to the championship game, they all concurred that they had played a very poor game but still had won,” coach Chuck Reda said. “This team knows the difference between playing well and winning as a lot of them are perfectionists, so they are their own hardest critics. 

“I actually had to remind them that great teams don’t always play well but they do find a way to win which is what they had done,” he said.

In the championship game, Braden River fell 2-0 to the Orlando Krush on a penalty kick and a free kick just outside the box.