Four Manhattan girls helped Sporting Kaw Valley reach the top of youth soccer in the United States.
Emma Barker, Olivia Smith, Bria Sturges and Delaney Sweisberger were members of Sporting Kaw Valley’s 13U girls team that won the US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup on Saturday at SCHEELS Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita.
The championship capped a run through three levels of competition. Sporting Kaw Valley first won the Kansas Presidents Cup on May 3 before claiming the North Central Presidents Cup on June 14 against regional qualifiers from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to earn a berth in the national tournament.
At nationals, Sporting Kaw Valley faced regional champions from Connecticut, Texas, Utah, Michigan and Virginia. The team finished 1-1-1 during group play before defeating Stamford FC of Connecticut 1-0 in the semifinals and Arlington Soccer Association of Virginia 2-0 in the championship match.
The Presidents Cup is one of the nation’s premier youth soccer competitions. The tournament begins with state competition before advancing through regional play, with only eight regional champions nationwide qualifying for each age group’s national tournament.
Sporting Kaw Valley draws players from the Manhattan, Topeka and Lawrence areas. Along with competing for the regional club, Barker, Smith, Sturges and Sweisberger also play together on a Manhattan-based team coached by Conall Root.
The four Manhattan players practice twice a week with their local team before traveling to Topeka once each week to train with Sporting Kaw Valley, which is coached by Stefan St. Louis of Lawrence.
This year’s tournament also carried added significance for the host state, as Wichita served as the site of the National Presidents Cup for the first time.