Local soccer standouts compete for national title

Leonardtown’s Errington, La Plata’s Walker star on Maryland ODP squad that captured third place

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo Leonardtown sophomore Taelar Errington poses with Maryland ODP director Herb Gainey after the team qualified to go to Texas for the national championship as the Region 1 champions. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Taelar Errington, a sophomore at Leonardtown High School and Deja Walker, a sophomore at La Plata High School, each participated in the tournament for the 16-year-old age group, as Maryland finished in third place behind California South and North Texas.

‘‘It was exhilarating,” said Errington, a starter on the Maryland squad. ‘‘It was a lot of fun. I’ve never been given the opportunity to play against kids from across the country ... It was intimidating, because every player that made that tournament was a very good player, but it was fun.”

In December of last year, Errington and Walker competed with over 100 other girls from around the state for the right to be part of the Maryland squad. After forming the team, Maryland competed with 14 other teams for the Eastern Regional crown and the opportunity to play as one of four teams in Texas.

‘‘It was an amazing experience,” said Errington. ‘‘I didn’t like it at first –– coming into tryouts, not being sure if you have a spot on the team. But it was a great experience. It was a great group of girls, a great coaching staff and it was a lot of fun.”

In Texas, Maryland joined the home team, as well as teams from California and Missouri to compete for the national championship. After losing the first match to North Texas by a score of 2-1, Maryland was able to pull out a 2-0 victory in the consolation match over Missouri to capture third place.

‘‘We played Missouri at eight o’clock in the morning,” said Errington, who also plays lacrosse for Leonardtown. ‘‘That was hard, but we bounced back quickly.”

More important than a third-place finish in a national tournament, Errington and Walker both said they brought home an experience and set of training they couldn’t receive elsewhere. Participating in the national tournament gave each girl an opportunity to travel to different parts of the country and compete against some of the best players in the United States.

‘‘We were really pumped up,” said Walker, who, like Errington, also plays for the Waldorf Express, a club team. ‘‘It was bad, because it was snowing when we first got there and we were worried we wouldn’t get to play at all. ... But we had a lot of fun and the team got really close.”

Playing for the ODP on various squads has allowed Walker to not only travel the country, but the world as well. She has traveled to Brazil and Italy and was able to not only learn about different cultures, but about how soccer is played all over the world – allowing her to improve on the field.

‘‘You get to see soccer played in different flavors around the world,” said Walker. ‘‘Last year, we went to Brazil ... they played a lot faster and kicked our butts. Then we went to Italy and we were actually better. We got to see where we stand compared to the rest of the world.”

For Herb Gainey, director of the ODP for the state of Maryland and the head coach of the men’s soccer team at St. Mary’s College, the games on the field offer training and opportunities the young soccer stars won’t find elsewhere. Gainey estimated that up to 85 percent of the players across the country that participate in the ODP get recruited by Division I colleges. He also explained that the higher level of competition forces the players to improve their style of play in order to remain one of the best players.

‘‘To play on a state team means you have been chosen to be one of the top players in the state, which means you are surrounded by top players in the state,” said Gainey. ‘‘The technical aspects of the game are going to be at a higher level, the speed of the game is going to be at a higher level. Hopefully, you will be able to do things, tactically, at a higher level with these kids.”

While playing in the national championship was a great opportunity, the fun doesn’t stop there for Errington and Walker. In July, the Eastern Region will select a regional team comprised of players from every state in the region.

Getting selected for the regional team is the last step in possibly getting selected for the national team, which could lead to international competitions – giving them experiences that could put them ahead of others in search of their ultimate goals.