We are two Girls' Rising U14 teams, XCEL and Spirit Xcel.
XCEL is a WAGS (premier) team.
Spirit Xcel is an MSI Classic D1 team.
Xcel Tryouts are scheduled
Mondays, July 6th, July 13, July 20, July 27
from 6 - 7:30 pm
at Maryvale ES, 1000 1st Street, Rockville.
We are looking for skilled players with athleticism and speed. Call to register and plan to come to more than one tryout.
Head Coach Kathleen Kerins is coaching the SMYF U13 Super Y team this summer, one of only TWO Super Y U13 teams in Maryland. The Super Y program is part of an overall developmental program that includes Super 20 and Premier development Leagues. All the Xcel players who tried out for Super Y made the Super Y team. Also, all Xcel players and many Spirit Xcel players made their MS teams at Pyle, Westland, Cabin John and Hoover MS. At 7th grade, this is quite an achievement. We are very proud of these players.
Xcel is a stable team and the average player has been with the team for several years. Both teams are known in the soccer community for their skills. The girls are indeed skillful players working in an environment where an understanding of the game is valued. Xcel reached the semi finals of the Potomac Memorial Day tournament this year, losing to the eventual champion in the semis.
For XCEL tryout, contact Jane De Angeli, our Xcel manager, at jdeangeli@comcast.net or Coach Kathleen at coachkerins@verizon.net .
Check our Locations tab for tryout location YahooMaps link. If you need additional information, call Jane at the contact number below.
Open tryout for Spirit Xcel for girls born after 8/1/1995 have been completed. Additional tryouts for outstanding players may be possible by arrangement. Contact Dana Young, our Spirit Xcel Team Manager.
OUR WEBSITE
Check out the "My Site News" tab at left which includes photos of the team in action. The "Calendar" tab has our schedule, and the "Links" tab has articles of interest as well as links to relevant organizations. In addition, you are encouraged to contact
- Head Coach Kathleen Kerins at coachkerins@verizon.net
- Spirit Xcel Manager Dana Young at dmyoung@novaresearch.com or 301-672-2163
- MSC XCEL Manager Jane De Angeli at jdeangeli@comcast.net or 301-717-9628
OUR STAFF
- Head Coach Kathleen Kerins
- Xcel Assistant Coach Steven Kittelberger
- Spirit Xcel Assistant Coach Sal Caccone
- Goalie Training Raul Garcia
- Beach Blast Coordinator & TSL Susan Freed
TRAINING PHILOSPHY Coach Kathleen's training program includes an emphasis on individual decision making, team tactical development, and player creativity. Coach Kathleen has worked with girls' teams for 12 years now and is nationally licensed. Using a Coerver foundation, Coach integrates drills learned from her own research and experience as well as from training and seminars she attends. Coach Kathleen offers clinics and camps over school breaks and summer - her website is available through the "Links" tab at left.
TEAM CULTURE Our players come from diverse public and private schools from Germantown to Chevy Chase and from Silver Spring to West Bethesda. The girls enjoy learning together to improve their skills. Coach Kathleen emphasizes being confident in one's skills and committing to support one's teammates in at atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation. We have a tremendous group of parents and all the girls' benefit from their cheering and support.
TRAINING SCHEDULE Click on the Calendar tab to see our team schedule. We work hard and are proud of our skills. Beginning this Fall, Xcel will train Mondays and Thursdays with a shooting clinic Fridays. Spirit Xcel will train Tuesdays and Fridays. Winter, both teams practice Mondays and Thursdays. We practice in Rockville, Bethesda, Potomac and occasionally Germantown.
TOURNAMENTS Both teams play tournaments - MSC XCEL plays several tournaments a season. Spirit Xcel plays a pre-season tournament. MSC XCEL won the Bull Run Tournament Spring 2008 and was a Semi Finalist in both 2007 and 2009's Potomac's Memorial Day Tournament.
WINTER Both teams train two days over the winter and compete in a futsal league. Team training includes conditioning, speed and agility, and injury prevention work. Kathleen is familiar with the PEP and other injury prevention programs and incorporates these into her programs.
SUMMER 2009 Both MSC XCEL and Spirit Xcel competed in the Cape May Beach Blast tournament in Wildwood, NJ. This year preseason team camp will be the week of August 17th for both MSC XCEL and Spirit Xcel teams.
We are looking at a team trip to Europe for tournament play in Summer 2010. See the Links tab for more from the organization we are working with, Excel Sports, which offers international soccer tours for youth teams.
TEAM SPIRIT The girls enjoy each other's company and have been to see DC United, Washington Freedom and the Women's US National Team play. Other socials include the occasional team pool party or sleepover. The girls have also volunteered as ball girls for Kicks Against Breast Cancer, collected soccer gear for a youth soccer league in Iraq, and assembled holiday stockings for the National Center for Children and Families in Betheda.
