Peachtree City's

Under 14 Lazers White team has put together a nice win streak. They won

the state tournament, which qualified them for the recent Region III tournament

in Memphis, Tenn, went 4-0-1 there and will now compete for the national

title July 24-29 in Indianapolis, IN.

Region III

consists of the entire southeast as well as Texas and Oklahoma. Texas

gave the Lazers the most competition in the tournament as they had to

face the Dallas Sting, the number one seed twice, once in the opening

match and again in the final. The Lazers tied the Sting 0-0 in the first

game and defeated them 1-0 in the title game. The winning goal came with

10 minutes remaining in the game. The team's strong defense was also key

in the tournament, having only given up one goal in the entire tournament.

"One of

the main strengths of the team is the ability to play as one unit,"

said Coach Kevin Lenze. "The team's fitness is another strength.

It is like they get stronger every game."

The other wins

came against a team from Alabama, 4-0, a team from Mississippi, 4-1 and

Houston, Texas, 2-0. The two goals in the semifinal against Houston came

from Monica Hogan, which was assisted by Emily Myers and Jessie Lenze,

whose goal was assisted by Katie Schulz. Lenze also scored the winning

goal in the final against Dallas after getting a perfect pass from Kari

Quinn.

The team will

face Chantilly Milan from Va., Kansas City Dynamos, New Mexico Rio Vista

Elite in the National Championships. The tournament will be a round robin

format and the two teams with the highest point totals will meet in the

final. Opening ceremonies will take place in Conseco Fieldhouse, home

of the Indiana Pacers, and will feature a special musical guest.

The Lazers

have been invited to attend an Olympic Development camp in Montevallo,

Ala. in order to help them prepare for the National Championships.

"Now the

team must apply the skills they possess," said Coach Lenze. "The

team plays very composed in high stakes games and if they play their style

of game, they could win the whole thing."

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