Sheldon Shealer
ESPN RISE
Alex Rios, shown at Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas), helped Mexico earn a place in the Women's Under-17 World Cup. Photo By: Nolan Catholic soccer
03/22/10 - Although the U.S. under-17 women's national team failed to qualify for the 2010 Women's Under-17 World Cup, there a few American high school students who will be competing in the games.
Alex Rios, a junior defender at Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas), and Christina Murillo, of Ojai, Calif., played for the Mexican under-17 squad that finished the CONCACAF Championships as a runner-up to Canada.
Rios' e-mail to her high school coach Jay Fitzgerald read, "I'm so excited to qualify for World Cup. Being part of this is something that I've been dreaming about since I started soccer. To be doing this at such a young age is my dream and I'm making it happen. It's the most amazing feeling in the world."
Mexico advanced to the final with a 3-1 overtime victory over Costa Rica in the semifinals, a match that featured a dramatic overtime goal by Murillo that sparked the victory. That result secured Mexico of one of the two CONCACAF bids to the World Cup.
"That feeling at the end of the game was unforgettable," Rios wrote. "Being able to qualify after that kind of fight through our bracket then the semifinals, it was just the best feeling in the world. It felt like the game was never going to end, but when it did I didn't want to get off that field. After the game ended and we were celebrating, I didn't want that feeling to go away once I left the field."
ESPN RISE
Alex Rios, shown at Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas), helped Mexico earn a place in the Women's Under-17 World Cup. Photo By: Nolan Catholic soccer03/22/10 - Although the U.S. under-17 women's national team failed to qualify for the 2010 Women's Under-17 World Cup, there a few American high school students who will be competing in the games.
Alex Rios, a junior defender at Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas), and Christina Murillo, of Ojai, Calif., played for the Mexican under-17 squad that finished the CONCACAF Championships as a runner-up to Canada.
Rios' e-mail to her high school coach Jay Fitzgerald read, "I'm so excited to qualify for World Cup. Being part of this is something that I've been dreaming about since I started soccer. To be doing this at such a young age is my dream and I'm making it happen. It's the most amazing feeling in the world."
Mexico advanced to the final with a 3-1 overtime victory over Costa Rica in the semifinals, a match that featured a dramatic overtime goal by Murillo that sparked the victory. That result secured Mexico of one of the two CONCACAF bids to the World Cup.
"That feeling at the end of the game was unforgettable," Rios wrote. "Being able to qualify after that kind of fight through our bracket then the semifinals, it was just the best feeling in the world. It felt like the game was never going to end, but when it did I didn't want to get off that field. After the game ended and we were celebrating, I didn't want that feeling to go away once I left the field."
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