Playing up an age group is one thing, but Mississippi Fire winger Marion Crowder recently did well playing up practically a generation.

Slight exaggeration, but Crowder, a speedster and top prospect in the South, scored a pair of goals for the 1990 United team at the recent U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Interregional event held in her home state of Mississippi.

Marion was born in 1995, which by my math means she was playing up five years.

The United team was a collection of players from across the country to round out the match schedule at the Interregional event (which featured a lot of college freshmen and some high school seniors). Crowder and her Region III teammate Hailey Brohaugh were added to fill out the squad, in part due to living close to where the event was being held in Ridgeland, MS.

Other players on the United team included fellow Mississippians Sarah Coleman and Laura Lee Smith, plus BYU freshman Lindsi Lisonbee,

If there was any question about belonging, Crowder answered it pretty quickly.

“At first I was just getting used to the speed of the older girls and their style of play. Midway through the 1st half, they started feeding me the ball more and I realized I could run with these girls so I started going to goal,” she said. “I had a few chances in the 1st half then the chances started to open up a lot more. The team started to trust each other a lot more.”

But a good opening half was bested by some degree when Crowder scored twice in the 2nd half.
 
“The 1st goal was a very good ball by Molly Atherton (Alabama recruit from Birmingham United). The keeper came out and I just kind of one-touched it in,” she said. “The 2nd goal I remember better. They played a ball down the line and I realized no run was being made because the center forward was checking back for the ball, so I decided I would make the run. When I got to the ball I could see the goal and I hit a left-footed shot into the upper 90. It was a pretty good strike.”

“Pretty good strike” was translated “goal of the event” by one watching coach. Crowder went on to play steadily well for her team and may have had the final touch on another goal later in the weekend from a scramble. The event served mostly as confirmation of what she can expect when she goes to play in college one day (she is only a 9th grader).

“It was really fun to see what the college game is like. It was a different speed,” she said. “Honestly I didn’t know what it would be like, I just expected them to be hard, strong and fast. I expected it to be a little more physical, but they still impressed me very much.”

Crowder, who also excelled in her own age group at the ODP Interregional in Coral Springs, FL, at Thanksgiving, said she learned some important things during her time with the older players.

“If you can play with older girls and take what they know with you, you can learn a lot,” she said. “It was kind of a stress relief to know I could play with those girls. It just makes me more calm and collected to know I deserve to be there just as much.”

Crowder, whose time in the 100 meters as an 8th grader already puts her among the best in the state for track and field, employed that speed intelligently in Florida, timing her runs well and playing angles right to give her good shooting or crossing position. She seems best suited for playing the wing but clearly her speed and skill would be helpful as a front-runner also.

She cited private trainer Jeremy Short with having helped her develop good ball skills, adding she likes to dribble a ball inside her house to complement her team and personal training schedule.