We wrapped up our 2021-2022 soccer year by playing in the NTH Adidas Select Cup tournament over the weekend of May 21-22, 2022.
Quick links:
- Day 2 recap (one champion, two runners-up)
- Day 1 recap (strong starts)
- Team assignments
- Schedules
- Player and parent notes
- Uniform colors
Day 2 recap:
Our Junior Academy Girls teams continued their strong play on Sunday. Each team had two Sunday games.
- Team Italy won their first game against Junior Academy sister team Spain. They followed up with a shutout win over Cobb SA to win their division’s championship medals. Well done girls!
- Team Spain lost a close game against Junior Academy sister team Italy. The rebounded with a win against an SSA team in their second game. They finished with 3 wins and 1 loss, and earned runners-up medals. Well done girls!
- Team France won their first game to advance to their group’s championship final. They faced an SSA U9 team in the championship. Lots of attacking play from both sides. Team France took a lead, fell behind, but battled back to tie, before conceding the winning goal to the SSA team in the final minutes. A tough loss, but a competitive game. Well done girls!
The final tally for our three Junior Academy teams:
- 12 games played, 10 games won, 2 games lost (one against a sister Junior Academy team)
- one championship team, two teams as runners-up
The standings after day 1:
U8 5v5 division: (Jr. Academy teams Italy and Spain)
Teams Italy and Spain are at the top of the U8 standings. Both teams have a chance to win their division. They face each other Sunday at 11:30 AM in an NTH Marietta Junior Academy “derby” match (us against us). Regardless of that game’s result, both teams play again at 2:30 PM (against other opponents). The nature of the 5-team bracket, with round-robin schedules instead of knock-out games, makes it hard to predict division winners and runners up right now.
U9 7v7 division: (Jr. Academy team France)
Team France is currently in first place in their division. A win or a tie in their Sunday morning game against NTH Smyrna will propel the girls into the championship final at 2:15 PM. A loss will knock team France out of the tournament. G-T-N-G!
Day 1 recap:
Our Junior Academy Girls got off to great start! Each of our teams won both of their Saturday games:
- Team Italy won 5v5 games against two different SSA teams.
- Team Spain won a 5v5 game against an SSA team, and then squeezed out a win in a dramatic comeback against the Cobb SA team. The final seconds of the game saw Cobb SA take a corner kick in an attempt to tie the game. The powerful kick was followed by two “hero” defensive plays from team Spain: one girl bravely blocked the corner kick with her chest, the other was quickest to react, and volleyed the loose ball left-footed to safety to secure the win. Wow!
- Team France seemed to block 100 shots in holding on to win a very competitive 7v7 game against a strong AFC Lightning team. They carried their momentum into their second game to defeat an NTH Buckhead team. The highlight was a goal scored from a nicely placed cross.
A curious observation:
Our parents are supporting the girls, but don’t seem to be trying to “joystick” them by constantly telling them what to do. We appreciate that! Many of the parents of our Saturday opponents have tried to direct their daughters and their teammates. We’ve long been believers that players improve their decision-making by making their own decisions in the game, and not by waiting to be told what to do. A big thank-you to our parents for having the courage to be patient and give the girls a chance to develop their decision-making!
Tournament play:
Tournaments differ from our typical Academy game days. Link: about tournament play
Competition format: Two of our teams (NTH Jr Academy Italy and NTH Jr Academy Spain) have 4-game guaranteed schedules: two games Saturday, and two games Sunday regardless of results. Champions and runners-up will be decided based on points accumulated over the 4-game schedule. (Win: 3 points. Tie: 1 point. Loss: 0 points.) One of our teams (NTH Jr Academy France) has a more traditional tournament schedule, with three guaranteed games in a round robin format, and a chance to advance to a championship game Sunday afternoon based on prior results.
Coaches: We’ll play anywhere from 10-11 total games over the weekend. Barring any schedule changes, we have coaching coverage for all round-robin games. Depending on prior results, there’s a chance we’ll have to draft a guest coach for one Sunday game.
Bad weather: In case of bad weather, tournament games could be delayed, shortened, converted into penalty kick shootouts or canceled altogether. The tournament host organization (NASA Tophat) makes these decisions. Refund policy (from tournament rules): If the tournament is canceled in its entirety due to inclement weather or other “Acts of God” then refunds will be determined at that time. Refunds will not be issued for any other reason.
Official tournament web site: The official tournament web site is the first source for any late breaking schedule changes. The tournament web site’s software provider also offers a mobile app for iOS (Apple) and Android devices. Link: SINC Sports mobile app
Weather updates:
May 21 update: The weather forecast for Sunday calls for a chance of storms rolling through Sunday late morning and into the afternoon and evening. For weather updates, check the official tournament web site or the following NTH social media channels: Facebook: @NASATophatSoccer; Instagram: TH_NASA or NASA_TOPHAT.
We’ll update our own Junior Academy Girls Twitter account (https://twitter.com/nasajracadg) when possible. But our Junior Academy channel could lag the official tournament weather communication channels if changes are posted while we’re driving or coaching.
Entry fees:
- Tournament entry fees are not included in the Junior Academy fees you pay to NTH. Entry fees for the tournament are a touch below $66 per player. Link: Junior Academy Expenses for 2022 NTH Adidas Cup
- We will bundle the tournament entry fees with our other Junior Academy expenses for the fall and spring season. Those fees totaled just under $9 per player. The main expenses were web hosting fees and laminating the parent game day mini rosters. Link: Junior Academy Expenses for 2021-2022
- Other link: about fees (general info)
- You can pay on-line securely via PayPal. (You don’t need your own PayPal account; you can use any major credit or debit card.)
- When you click the Pay Now button below, you’ll be taken to a PayPal login screen.
- If you want to pay by credit card or debit card instead, click the “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” button below the PayPal login window; this will allow you to do a guest checkout through PayPal without creating an account.
- If you choose to pay cash, please deliver in person to Ward in an envelope with your daughter’s name on it, and get confirmation that the cash has been received.
Pay tournament fees plus Junior Academy expenses ($75):
Select this option if your daughter is playing in the tournament. You can pay via Venmo (send $75 to @Ward-Swain; look for the soccer ball photo) or via PayPal (use the button below).
Pay Junior Academy expenses only ($9):
Select this option if your daughter isn’t playing in the tournament. You can pay via Venmo (send $9 to @Ward-Swain; look for the soccer ball photo) or via PayPal (use the button below).
Team assignments:
| Team: | NTH Jr. Academy Italy | NTH Jr. Academy Spain | NTH Jr. Academy France |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division: | U8 Girls Gold Division | U8 Girls Gold Division | U9 Girls White Division |
| Game format: | 5v5 | 5v5 | 7v7 |
| Schedule: | schedule link (Italy) | schedule link (Spain) | schedule link (France) |
| Players: | Barron Cunningham Dahm Diaz Douglas Hoitink Jackson Roller | Brown Fahrner Kobliska Lancaster Lovich Obradovich Patel, Li Stephens | Augustin Chisholm Dawson Hecht Jaillet Michalke Otto Patel, Le Ragsdale Schemmel |
Roster notes:
- We have bigger team rosters than we do during normal game days. Main reasons:
- Multiple games per day is more physically challenging for the players, which means we need more subs. Potential hot late-May weather is another factor that adds an additional challenge.
- Tournament rules require rosters to stay fixed, so we can’t borrow a player from one of our other Junior Academy Girls teams in case of illness, injury, traffic (or parking) delay, etc.
- We can’t move players between teams to work around schedule conflicts. If your daughter has a conflict with a game, she will still be eligible to play in her team’s other games.
- There are a bunch of factors that go into team assignments. If you have any questions about the rosters, please feel free to ask Ward in person after a practice the week of May 16th. (E-mail isn’t the best medium for this conversation.)
Warm-up captains:
We’ll appoint warm-up captains mid-week. The captains are responsible for gathering their teammates and starting pre-game warm-up. This is more important than usual, since coaches may be finishing a game on a different field when warm-up is due to start. Link: warm-up ideas. No need to re-invent our normal warm-up, which starts with free dribbling, then has girls getting reps of our featured dribbling move groups (turns, stop and go moves, tricks), and then builds into the 1v1 game we call snow cones.
Schedules:
Team schedules:
2022 NTH Adidas Select Cup: NTH Jr. Academy Girls Italy schedule
| Day, Date | Kickoff Time | Field | NTH Junior Academy Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, May 21 | 12:30 PM | Quest 7A | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Italy (H) | SSA 14 Yellow |
| Sat, May 21 | 3:30 PM | Quest 7A | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Italy (a) | SSA 14 Blue |
| Sun, May 22 | 11:30 AM | Quest 7A | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Italy (H) | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Spain |
| Sun, May 22 | 2:30 PM | Quest 7A | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Italy (a) | Cobb SA |
2022 NTH Adidas Select Cup: NTH Jr. Academy Girls Spain schedule
| Day, Date | Kickoff Time | Field | NTH Junior Academy Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, May 21 | 9:30 AM | Quest 7B | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Spain (a) | SSA 14 Yellow |
| Sat, May 21 | 12:30 PM | Quest 7A | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Spain (H) | Cobb SA |
| Sun, May 22 | 11:30 AM | Quest 7A | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Spain (a) | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Italy |
| Sun, May 22 | 2:30 PM | Quest 7B | NTH Jr. Academy Girls Spain (H) | SSA 14 Blue |
2022 NTH Adidas Select Cup: NTH Jr. Academy Girls France schedule
| Day, Date | Kickoff Time | Field | NTH Junior Academy Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, May 21 | 9:15 AM | Quest 3 | NTH Jr. Academy Girls France (a) | AFC 2013 |
| Sat, May 21 | 2:15 PM | Quest 1 | NTH Jr. Academy Girls France (H) | NTH Buckhead 13 Silver |
| Sun, May 22 | 9:15 AM | Quest 2 | NTH Jr. Academy Girls France (a) | NTH Smyrna 13 Navy |
| Sun, May 22 | 2:15 PM | Noonday back #9 | NTH Jr. Academy Girls France (a) | Potential final |
Schedule notes:
- Tournaments follow a different set of schedule standards than our regular Junior Academy game days. This tournament includes 250+ teams in multiple age groups spread across multiple venues, so we’re just a few small pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle. We don’t have control over schedules or venues.
Uniforms:
- Home teams (designated by the “(H)” indicator after the team name in the schedule) are expected to wear yellow (or light color) uniforms. Away teams (designated by the “(a)” indicator) wear blue (or dark color) uniforms. If there’s a color conflict, the home team is required to change uniforms.
- Girls should always bring both sets of uniforms in case of unexpected color conflict. Link: what to pack in backpacks on game days
- Tip: Pack your daughter’s alternate uniform into a large zip-lock bag and place the bag into her equipment backpack.
Home teams (designated by the “(H)” indicator after the team name in the schedule) are expected to wear yellow (or light color) uniforms. Away teams (designated by the “(a)” indicator) wear blue (or dark color) uniforms. If there’s a color conflict, the home team is required to change uniforms.Master NTH-Tophat North Jr Acad Girls schedule:
Here’s a master chronological schedule for all our NTH Junior Academy Girls teams. If you plan to stay at the park between games, your daughter is welcome to sit in the player’s bench area and watch her “sister” teams.
2022 NTH Adidas Select Cup: master Junior Academy Girls schedule
| Day, Date | Kickoff Time | Field | NTH Jr Academy Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, May 21 | 9:15 AM | UQP #3 | NTH JAG France (a) | AFC 2013 |
| Sat, May 21 | 9:30 AM | UQP #7B | NTH JAG Spain (a) | SSA 14 Yellow |
| Sat, May 21 | 12:30 PM | UQP #7A | NTH JAG Italy (H) | SSA 14 Yellow |
| Sat, May 21 | 12:30 PM | UQP #7B | NTH JAG Spain (H) | Cobb SA |
| Sat, May 21 | 2:15 PM | UQP #1 | NTH JAG France (H) | Buckhead 13 Silver |
| Sat, May 21 | 3:30 PM | UQP #7A | NTH JAG Italy (a) | SSA 14 Blue |
| Sun, May 22 | 9:15 AM | UQP #2 | NTH JAG France (a) | Smyrna 13 Navy |
| Sun, May 22 | 11:30 AM | UQP #7A | NTH JAG Italy (H) | NTH JAG Spain |
| Sun, May 22 | 11:30 AM | UQP #7A | NTH JAG Spain (a) | NTH JAG Italy |
| Sun, May 22 | 2:15 PM | ND back #9 | NTH JAG France (a) | Potential final |
| Sun, May 22 | 2:30 PM | UQP #7A | NTH JAG Italy (a) | Cobb SA |
| Sun, May 22 | 2:30 PM | UQP #7B | NTH JAG Spain (H) | SSA 14 Blue |
Player and parent notes:
Venue(s):
All of our games are scheduled at United Quest Park and Noonday Park (adjacent to Quest). Parking will likely be a challenge, so you may need to drop your daughter off at her field so she can start warm-up while you find a parking spot.
- Parking (Quest Park games): The first lot at Noonday Park (use the Hawkins Store Road entrance) is an alternate parking spot for Quest fields 7 and 8.
- Parking (Noonday Park game): We may have a championship game at Noonday 9 (back entrance). Be sure to use the proper Noonday back entrance (off Shallowford Road), otherwise you face a L-O-N-G walk!
Tips for parents:
We ask that you be your daughter’s biggest fans, and all the other girls’ 2nd biggest fans. Please help us keep the environment positive and fun for the players. Link: game day guidelines for parents
Footwear:
Girls should wear their normal soccer shoes, but also bring sneakers or slides. After games, the girls should remove their socks, shin-guards and soccer shoes, and switch to more comfortable footwear. This will help their feet rest and also allow time for footwear items to dry out.
No jewelry:
Tournament rules state “No jewelry of any kind may be worn.” Our recommendation is to leave jewelry at home.
Proper hydration:
It’s likely to be HOT this weekend! (The weather forecast as of May 14 calls for highs in the upper 80s on day one. Please make sure your daughter is staying properly hydrated. This includes drinking plenty of healthy fluids before, during and after games. Please also make sure she brings a large insulated water jug (minimum half-gallon) to each game. Link: hydration guidelines
Nutrition:
Good nutrition can have a huge impact on your daughter’s performance over the weekend. Link: Nesquick simple Game Day Eating guide
- Before games: The girls should eat a high-carb, low-fat breakfast a couple of hours before their first games. A small amount of milk is fine with cereal, but the girls should skip milk as a pre-game beverage.
- Between games: The girls should eat a snack (one or two items such as low-fat crackers, an energy bar or a banana) soon after their first games. The best between-game fluids are water or sports drinks like Gatorade or PowerAde; avoid milk during this period.
- After each day’s 2nd game: The girls should eat some type of carbohydrate snack as soon as possible after their second games. This is one time when sweets are actually a solid choice. Chocolate milk has become popular as a recovery drink. They can eat a big meal after they get home. Milk is fine during this post-game period.