Callie Ericksen and Camryn Ernst, teammates on the U13 girls WCSC Explosion, traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, as
members of the ’99 Olympic Development State team for California. After a fall filled with several rigorous tryouts, the final 40-player ODP roster was set. Callie and Camryn were both a part of it, Callie being named to the 18-player travel roster for the regional championships and Camryn as the first alternate. By the time championship weekend came along, Camryn had been called up to the travel team and the girls prepared to go down to Arizona.
The California North team started championship play with a hard fought 1-1 tie with Arizona on Saturday, January 14. They followed that with a 7-0 victory over Alaska and a 1-1 tie with Hawaii on Sunday. It came down to the Monday match versus Nevada to decide who would play against Arizona in the championship match. Thanks to tough defensive play and strong goal keeping, California was able to hold on to a 1-0 lead in order move on to the final match. Again, California North and Arizona matched up well, resulting in a 0-0 tie. Arizona was awarded first place based on points and California with second place.
The girls represented Walnut Creek well as Callie scored 2 of the 9 California goals over the course of the event as well as assisting on 2 other goals while Camryn played an outstanding outside mid. It was a great weekend of soccer and a learning experience for the players. Both girls look forward to representing in more ODP events as the year goes on.