South Orlando Soccer Club, Inc

In August of 2020, due to the pandemic, a local girls soccer team was left with only 10 players.  Thanks to the determination of a very special coach, additional players joined and an entire team was formed under South Orlando Soccer Club (SOSC).

The first half of the season was challenging, but the girls played hard, even without subs. They worked together; growing, training, and bonding as a team.  Slowly, the hard work and dedication paid off.  Not only was SOSC winning in their division, but they were excelling in tournaments. The SOSC girls advanced to play in the Florida Presidents Cup Semifinals in May, 2021. But they lost to Florida Celtic, thereby missing their chance to advance to the Southern Presidents Cup in Alabama. However, two weeks before the tournament in Alabama, SOSC got some unexpected news. The SOSC girl's exceptional team ranking earned them the wild card in the Southern Presidents Cup Tournament.

With just a couple of weeks until the tournament, the girls team scrambled to make last-minute arrangements for the trip. Getting to Alabama wasn't without challenges. With two injured players, the team had to find a way to fill the rooster, make the 20 hour round trip, round up guest players, and rearrange schedules for 14 families at the last minute.

Despite the circumstances, on June 11, 2021, the SOSC's fourteen players headed to Decatur, Alabama, to play in the Southern Presidents Cup. Over three days, the girls played in weather conditions ranging from extreme heat, on scorching turf, and through torrential rain and mud filled fields. Nonetheless, SOSC won 2 out of 3 games advancing out of group play to win the semifinals! SOSC was advancing to the finals for a chance to play in the National Presidents Cup in Iowa!  With the odds stacked against them, a wild card team had never won the finals to go to nationals; the girls set out to play a very tough game against Mississippi. While the girls played with their hearts and soul, they lost in the finals 0-1.

But that isn't the end of this story!  Through yet another twist of fate, Mississippi had to decline the trip to Iowa, meaning SOSC was next in line. The SOSC girls are going to Iowa to play for the National Title in the Presidents Cup. Here, they will be representing the Southern Region of the US, which includes 264 teams across nine states!

Please help the girls with their journey to Iowa. This is truly a comeback story! The SOSC girls don't have fancy travel uniforms but they have true grit and determination, and they put their heart into this team under a fantastic coach who has sacrificed so much to get them this far. SOSC girls have defied the odds, advancing on a wild card to play for a chance to bring Orlando, Florida, a National Presidents Cup title.

The girls are volunteering at soccer camp and working odd jobs to help fund their trip. Anything you can contribute to help these girls will mean the world to them. Nothing has stopped the SOSC thus far, so let's stand behind them and show our support in any way, large or small! And let's bring Florida a National Title!