As the postseason often proves it’s not necessarily about being the best team, but playing the best soccer when it counts.

There were a few Cinderella-type runs in the most recent regional playoffs, including the U14 Ohio Premier Green girls, who made it all the way to the Region II final in search of their first invitation to the national championships.

For the best example of peaking at the right time, however, look no further than the U17 GSA Phoenix 92 Red squad out of Georgia. A balanced group that isn’t stacked with individual stars, GSA Phoenix rallied when it needed to despite not entering the Region III gathering as world-beaters.

“We really didn’t have a very good buildup to the playoffs,” admitted coach Campbell Chapman. “Before the State Cup we played in our own tournament and struggled. To be honest, we went to State Cup more hopeful than expecting to win.”

But the team’s greatest victory turned out to be a loss. Not for GSA Phoenix, but for their interstate rival AFC.

“The turning point I feel happened when we learned that they had been upset (at state),” Chapman said. “All of the sudden our training sessions had more energy and I think the team sensed that the path had just become a little easier.”

That incentive was just enough to push the squad to the next level. The team is guided by strong offensive players that include Brittany Beaumont, Nicole Locandro and Jordan Young as well as goalkeeper Natalie Jenkins.

The group rallied around one another to bounce back from last season’s State Cup Finals appearance en route to taking it – which was huge for their confidence and momentum.

“We played better at State Cup and just continued to get better,” Chapman said. “Even after we lost our first regional match (1-0 to Triangle FC) we still knew we were in good hands. We went into the game knowing that a win would put us through and we came up big.”

GSA Phoenix 92 defeated AFC Lighting in the final to complete the transformation and move on to the National Championships held July 21-26 in Lancaster, Massachusetts.

Now, GSA Phoenix will face the challenge of every other team still playing: staying sharp. And with some of his roster participating in ODP, Chapman may face and even tougher time keeping his group cohesive.

Still, the team will be motivated and prepared if for no other reason than this is the end of the line.

“There is no bigger incentive than playing for a national title,” Chapman said.