Aug. 3, 2007
The 2007 women's soccer season will begin in just under a month and there is a lot of optimism around the season. But for three players, there was no need to wait to taste victory as Patti Benner, Leslie Cabe and Stephanie Hair helped lead the Under-19 PWSI Cardinals to Nationals where they finished as runners-up.
The Cardinals won the state title to advance to the Region I Tournament held in Maine. The trio of returning Mason players helped the Cardinals go unbeaten in pool play, beating the W. Chester (Pa.-E) Predators 4-1, topping the Syracuse (N.Y.-W) FC 6-1 and shutting out South Central (Conn.) 2-0.
Once in the semifinals, the Cardinals dominated Blackbear (Maine) United FC 6-1. That set up a showdown with the PDA (N.J.) Wildcats. Trailing 1-0 in the final minute, Benner scored to tie the game and force overtime and the Cardinals won in the sixth round of penalty kicks.
At Nationals, the Cardinals downed Sereno 88 (Ariz.) White, 3-0, and tied 87 CASL Spartan (N.C.) Elite, 1-1. Needing a point to advance to the finals, the Cardinals tied the Carmel (Ind.) Cyclones, 3-3. That allowed the Cardinals to advance to the Championship game where they again faced Carmel. This time, however, the Cyclones were able to take a 2-0 win.
