Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Soccer Player Helps Team to National Title

Select Sports

By John English

Contributing Writer

Jessica Disabella has played varsity soccer for Flower Mound High School since her freshman season, and while she has been a part of two playoff runs in that time, the FMHS junior’s biggest accomplishment did not come as a Lady Jaguar.

Disabella recently helped her Olympic Development Program team to a national championship, which she described as "incredible" experience.

"It was just awesome to get there," Disabella said. "Winning a national championship is a once-in-a-lifetime deal, and it was incredible just to be able to do it."

Disabella’s ODP team won the national title by defeating Minnesota 7 -1 in the semifinals and New Jersey 2-1 in the championship game.

Disabella, 16, is a center midfielder for her ODP team, and is also a member of the Polaris 92 club team.

The Flower Mound junior was with her club team last week in North Carolina competing in a regional tournament.

"This is where all the best teams in the region come, and they find the regional champion," Disabella said on Tuesday. "Then that team gets to go on to nationals and compete against the best team in the other region."

Unfortunately, Polaris 92 lost in the semifinals to a team from South Texas.

Disabella said soccer is her major passion and that the sport occupies most of her free time, and said there is a definite difference between club soccer and high school soccer in her mind.

"In high school, as far as players are concerned, you kind of take what you can get," Disabella said. "In select soccer, only certain players can make the team, and you get the best of the best."

Disabella said her ultimate objectives for the sport of soccer are quite lofty, but attainable.

"My goal is to get into a really good Division I school," Disabella said. "I want to do my best and win some stuff in college. Maybe, I could one day coach a select team, and if I could play in the Olympics or on a World Cup team, I would definitely want to do that."