The Minnesota Thunder U15 Girls continue to progress through the competitive trials of elite youth soccer. This weekend could be their next big accomplishment, as winning two of three matches will make them the first Minnesota team to win the Midwest Regional League Premier division.

Coach Mark Cook cited team balance as a primary characteristic of the squad.
“This is a pretty solid group. All in all they don’t have too many weaknesses,” Cook said. “They were regional champions at U13 and then lost to Michigan Hawks in overtime of the semifinals of U14 last year. They’ve had good national success already.

“We primarily focus on playing quality possession soccer,” Cook continued. “We still spend time on the technical part of the game including receiving, passing and ball-striking. I’m a big fan of watching professional games and I like for us to try playing the beautiful game. We are trying to make them better players down the road. Sometimes it comes out in the game and sometimes we struggle, but in the end it forces them to be better soccer players.”

The Thunder lineup starts with regional-level goalkeeper Tori Fuglister, who is a good shot-stopper that Cook credits with having improved her game in the air.

The starting defenders, right-to-left, include Jillian Richgels (quick and tough), Rebecca Roberts (great in the air and the team leader in the back), Brianna Stelzer (a move-in this year from Houston club Eclipse) and Rachael Van Keulen, a technically proficient left back. Rachel Gratz is a fast and physical defender who completes the unit.

In midfield, Bianca Diaz and Madison Nelson provide good service from the flanks, with Hannah Werth’s solid ball-striking and Lauren Nash, just returning from a long-term injury, providing depth. Centrally, Mackenzie Lewis is dominant in the air and in disrupting the opposition attack, with Kaelyn Korte a technically-gifted possession player and Taylor  Brownrigg a mixture of the two.

U15 Girls National Team player Lauren Miller is a stalwart in the forward line, with the fast and hard-working Kylie Schwartz complementing her up front, and Mallory Getchell providing support as a good distributor of the ball.

Cook said an MRL title would also help his team relax heading into the Minnesota State Cup schedule.

“We’re hoping to win the league and go into the State Cup being able to to work on our game and not having to worry about results.”