Mean Machine: Mean Machine Past News

Please make sure all parents note when their scheduled time is to bring healthy drinks/snacks to keep the Mean Machine fueled.  Please refrain from bringing drinks or snacks with a lot of sugar.  Ideas for drinks are Gatorade, Powerade etc. and ideas for snacks include Nutragrain bars etc.  Thanks!

September 17 - Jessica

September 24 - Rain Out  

October 1 - Alexis  

October 15 - Charley  

October 21 - Ella  

October 22 - Haven  

October 29 - Gracyn 

November 4 - Izzy? 

November 5 - Sammie  

What a day!  Beautiful weather, tough competition, girls against the guys, a tie game, two games decided by one goal - one in the last minute of play, players giving it their all, coaches losing their voices, parents on the verge of cardiac arrest, cheering and excitement all around and lots of smiling faces at the end.  Welcome to Mean Machine soccer, Champions of the Charlotte Eagles 3v3 Fall Classic!  

The tournament featured 58 teams from throughout the region and was sponsored by the Charlotte Eagles professional soccer team.  The tournament is also a qualifier for the 3v3 World Cup which will be held in Atlanta, GA in August of 2011.  With no girls teams at its age group, the Mean Machine played in the boys division, which is something they have done many times in the past.

Pool play saw the girls open up with a very strong 5-1 win over the Charlotte Eagles team, which featured lots of nice ball control, lots of shots on goal and very few chances for the Eagles due to pressing Mean Machine play.  Game 2 featured the Mean Machine taking on the bigger and more physical Weddington Wildcats, who initially intimidated the girls and prevented them from playing with the confidence and aggression the coaches like to see.  The team's skillset alone allowed them to match goals for the 2-2 tie, but now everyone knew the girls were in for a fight.  In the third game of pool play the Mean Machine knew they had to have a win to advance to the Championship Game.  A loss or a tie would not advance the girls and they were facing the Charlotte United Football Club Junior Academy, a talented bunch that had also tied the big Weddington team.  Goals and shots were hard to come by in a game where both teams were fighting hard to advance, but the Mean Machine found the one goal they needed due to some wonderful ball control and fight through two defenders to find the back of the net.  It was the only goal they needed as the girls stiffened up on defense and got the 1-0 victory.  Now with 7 points (2 wins and a tie) the girls were seeded #1 in the group.  The Championship Game pitted the team again against the much more physical Weddington Wildcats, whom they had tied earlier in pool play in a game they lacked their normal confidence.  The coaches tried to stress aggressive play and winning all balls and the Mean Machine responded by coming out strong went into the half up an impressive 2-0.  The tough Weddington team was not about to back down, however, and they pressed hard to tie the game at 2-2 late in the game.  With just over a minute to play, and both teams looking at sudden death overtime, the Mean Machine delivered the aggressive burst they needed, won the ball in the midfield and connected on a beautiful left footed strike while being pursued in traffic, which proved to be the game and tournament winner! 

The coaches would like to congratulate all the girls not just for the wins and their medals, but most importantly for never giving up, playing hard against the boys and giving their best on the field.  That is all that we ever ask.  Playing the boys was a definite step up in competition from Fall club play, and it was nice to see the team successfully overcome their initial jitters and return to the aggressive and pressing style of play that is the trademark of the Mean Machine!  Thanks also to the parents for being so supportive, as always, for a great group of girls!  Be sure to check out tournament photos in the "Cool Mean Machine Photos" link on the upper left of this home page.         

This summer a group of talented area soccer players, the Lake Norman Mean Machine, competed in the North Carolina State Games and came away with an undefeated 5-0 record and a gold medal finish.  What is really interesting is that the Mean Machine is made up of five to six year old girls who have been playing soccer locally since they were three.  The girls play primarily at North Meck Soccer Club in Huntersville as well as Strikers Soccer Center, also in Huntersville, and now plan to compete in tournaments statewide.

The State Games of North Carolina are North Carolina's largest Olympic-style amateur sports festival.  The Games are North Carolina's largest multi-sport festival and one of the largest State Games programs in the United States.  More than 14,000 athletes and 650+ teams are competing in the 25 sports of the XXIV Powerade State Games of North Carolina. Patterned after the Olympic Games, State Games recognizes winners with gold, silver and bronze medals.  State Games is a member of the National Congress of State Games, an organization committed to the development of amateur sports and a member of the United States Olympic Committee.  This year's State Games were held in and around the Charlotte area, which is what enticed the girls to participate. The soccer portion of the Games drew some of the best teams throughout the state ranging from 5 years old to an over 50 group. 

The Mean Machine went undefeated in games both Saturday and Sunday and advanced to the Gold Medal Game to face a very tough group of young ladies from nearby Charlotte Soccer Academy, which is known as one of the top soccer clubs in the state.  The Charlotte Soccer Academy girls were a very talented team, but the Lake Norman area girls won decisively 10-2 to claim their first place finish and shiny gold medals!  It was quite a fun and exciting weekend for players and parents, and what a way to finish in their first ever tournament.  Many tournament pictures can be found in the "Cool Mean Machine Photos" link found at the upper left hand side of this web page.  Great job Mean Machine!