"It was her freshman year.  We were playing Jesuit High School, one of the top rated high schools in the country.  They were always our Achilles heel.  They were winning 1-0 and Courtney comes in and she's fouled in the box.  She scores the penalty kick to tie up the game.  And then with 3 minutes left to go in the game she scores again to take the lead.  We realized at that moment how special she was." – Rossano Rocha, head coach Tualatin (OR) High School

Courtney Verloo is not your average 17 year old girl.  Some know her as the tall blonde haired girl that can always be found on the soccer field.  Her classmates might know her as the smart, quiet girl with an almost perfect grade point average.  But to her teammates, she is so much more.  When Courtney steps onto the soccer field she is a player you want to have on your team. 

The true forward, one of those rare players with an eye for the goal.  Having scored 87 goals in just three years on her Tualatin High School team, her exploits have carried over to U17 Women's National Team, earning her a spot on the team's roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup.

Verloo grew up in Oregon and following in the footsteps of her father began playing soccer at the young age of 5. 

"My dad played as a kid and he played club soccer at University of Oregon.  He loved it and would take me and my two sisters outside to practice," Verloo said, "I've thought about joining other sports but I've always just loved soccer."

"When you're a girl athlete, every sport wants you," F.C. Portland coach Brian Gant explains, "Courtney said the heck with that and since middle school has devoted her life to soccer."

Courtney Verloo (in white) is a goal-scoring machine.

At 11, Verloo joined the Southside Strikers and played there before switching over to F.C. Portland just last year.  F.C. Portland is a small but nationally recognized soccer club that competes among the top teams in the country.

Verloo made the state ODP squad and in an unusual move, was thrown right into the national team mix, being called into a YNT camp.

"I was so surprised because I never thought that it would happen so suddenly," she said, "I did not play with the Regional team until after playing with the National Team."

Now she's a fixture of Kaz Tambi's U17 Women's National Team, which will travel to Trinidad & Tobago this month for the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament.

Balancing travel with school is tough but Courtney seems to have it under control.

"We probably leave for a week every month but my teachers are really supportive," Courtney explains, "I was able to work with them.  It was a challenge but I got it done."

Assuming things go well in qualifying, Verloo will travel to New Zealand this October to represent the United States at the first FIFA U17 World Cup.

Sometimes because of her travel schedule she is forced to miss club team practices or games.

"She tends to be living out of a suitcase recently," Gant states, "She landed in Hawaii for Regionals after getting off the plane from playing on the National team.  It has to take its toll.  The demands on her are tough."

Success seems to follow her wherever she goes.  Her club team, F.C. Portland, won the Oregon State Cup and just recently lost in the Regional finals.  Her Tualatin High School Varsity team has only lost three games in the last three years. 

Within the last few years, Courtney has garnered numerous awards.  She is a two time Gatorade Oregon Girls Soccer Player of the Year (2006 and 2007), three time League Player of the year, 2006 State Player of the Year and was MVP of the High School State Title Game.

Courtney's soccer ability is a mix of natural talent and hard work. 

"She's tall, she's strong, she's got speed, she's versatile, she'll beat you on free kicks, she'll beat you in the air, she'll beat you dribbling," boasts Gant, "she's got the package."

"She has that flair to score," Gant explains, "she's capable of scoring tremendous goals."

"She has the ability to understand crucial game time situations," Tualatin HS coach Rossano Rocha adds, "if we are down by one, she knows whether to pass or hold on to it.  She has the ability to make the quick decisions that are best for the team."

Her soccer ability is now known throughout the state and even the country.

"Everyone at least in our state knows how dangerous she can be," Rocha said. "She plays very fast-paced and creative.  She can put herself in a bad situation and get herself out of it."

On both her club and high school team, Courtney enjoys a lot of freedom up top.

"We allow her to roam a lot," Gant states, "sometimes she drifts back into the midfield since she knows if she stays up she's easy to mark.  We have a style that allows her to move around and play within her game.  She's always trying to figure out her opponents."

Despite her obvious soccer talent, Courtney remains extremely humble.

"She's a quiet kid," describes Gant, "She has all this talent and ability and you'll never see her boasting.  It's refreshing in many ways because she doesn't realize how good she is.  But when she realizes her abilities she's really going to take off."

"She's a soccer junkie and she just wants to play," Rocha adds, "she doesn't care too much about awards or accolades."

In regards to college, everything is still up in the air.

"I'm looking to probably stay on the west coast," Courtney reveals, "I'll hopefully commit before the school year.  I'm looking for a good place to play soccer but a good academic school as well.  I'm trying to find the right fit." 

"The next stage is going to be important for her," Gant adds, "she needs a program that challenges her."

Right now some names being tossed around include Stanford, UCLA, Santa Clara and University of Portland.  With her great combination of soccer talent and strong academics, Courtney should not have a problem finding where she fits.

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