Almost every time Josie Hallier steps onto a soccer field, she's the smallest player. And almost every time Josie and her KRW Rush 03 teammates step onto the soccer field, they are the smaller than their opponents. Such is the case when an under-11 girls soccer team plays in the under-12 division in Wichita, but size isn't a problem for Josie or her teammates. They finished in third place this spring in the Sedgwick County Soccer Association's U12 Gold Division for the second straight season, with three losses coming to the league's top two teams. Josie lives in Hutchinson, but plays for the Kansas Rush Wichita club, regarded as the best youth soccer club in Wichita. She's been a starting midfielder for all three seasons as a member of the KRW Rush 03 team, and Josie helps make up the smallest but most skilled midfield unit in the league. Josie and her teammates took to Kansas City twice in late May to prove themselves as one of the best U11 girls teams in Kansas. After finishing third in the top division at the prestigious Kansas City Invitational over Memorial Day weekend, the Rush were the only non-northeast Kansas team to play at the Kansas Junior State Championships in Overland Park the next weekend. Playing against the best teams in Kansas, the Rush first beat the Sporting Kaw Valley Prodigy Firestorm 4-0 with Josie setting up the game-winning goal minutes before halftime. Then playing the Kansas Rush Wolves Academy - the tournament's top seed - the KRW Rush played well in a 1-1 tie. Needing a win or tie to qualify for the semifinals, KRW Rush was 25 minutes away from the final four, but the KC Fusion Academy pulled away for a 3-0 win. The loss ended the season for Josie and the KRW Rush 03 girls, but they look to improve the team for another run at the state championship next spring. Submitted by Brad Hallier |
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