VALDOSTA —
Maggie Laine Powell, a rising senior at Lowndes High School and a member of the school’s varsity soccer team, brought home a gold medal while representing the United States in the United World Games in Klagenfurt, Austria this summer.
Powell was selected to play on a national All-Star team for the United States in an Olympic- styled international youth sports event in June. The team, sponsored by American International Sports Teams, was selected among national high school juniors and seniors that participated in various showcase tournaments across the country. Powell was identified as a potential candidate during her participation in the Nike Cup tournament in Atlanta in December of 2011, and was invited to join the team shortly afterward.
The team was comprised of 22 girls from across the country and was coached by Christine Ericson, reported to have the third best winning percentage of all high school soccer coaches in the United States.
The girls had never met one another, let alone played together, until they arrived at the airport terminal gate in New York for the trip to Europe.
“We had one practice together in Germany on June 19th before playing a scrimmage against an under-16 U.S. team on June 20th, and then the first round of the games began on June 21st,” said Powell.
The girls played Switzerland and Vilslern, Germany to a draw in the first two games of the tournament. They came together to beat Munich, Germany 1-0 in the third game, placing them second in their group and earning a spot in the semifinals.
Powell and her teammates shut out Austria 2-0 in the semifinal match, setting up a rematch with Vilslern, Germany in the finals.
It was all USA in the championship game, as the Americans defeated the German team 1-0 to bring the gold medal home.
“It was the first time a U.S. team has ever won a gold medal in any sport and at any age level in the United World Games,” explained Powell. “So all the U.S. coaches from all the sports were congratulating us.”
The United World Games is an international sporting event hosted annually in Klagenfurt, Austria, home to the 2008 World Cup Final. There are over 4,000 youth athletes competing in multiple events over four days in an Olympic-like setting. Complete with opening ceremonies, an athletes’ village, the playing of national anthems and the display of national flags, the athletes are exposed to some of the best competition and greatest nationalism that they have ever experienced.
Powell’s soccer team travelled with the U.S. girls’ volleyball and basketball teams of the same age group.
“I met girls from all over the U.S. and became very close,” Powell said. “One of my closest teammates, Riley Richardson, was from the state of Washington. She played my normal position of left defender and coincidentally also wore my usual No. 5, so I became No. 3 and moved to center midfield to play a new position. We both were able to make the starting team and I had an opportunity to see the field in a different way, so it worked out great.”
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Maggie Laine Powell at the United World Games in Austria. contributed photo
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Lowndes’ Maggie Laine Powell wins gold for U.S. at United World Games
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