The South End Soccer's Rush girls under 10 year old (U10) team is off to a fantastic start, with a record of 5-0 through midseason play and a first ever championship win in the Girls U10 division of the 2015 Boston Mayor's Cup Soccer Tournament.

Coaches Meg Lindberg, Mat Foscato say, "The girls love to play the game. Their friendship and team work shows up both on and off the field. Every week, we see the girls improving their soccer skills while at the same time having a lot of fun".

Meanwhile, the South End Soccer's Rush girls under 14 year old (U14) team has a record of 3-2 through midseason play, and stands in 2nd place in their division. These young girls are blazing the trail to create a pathway for girls from Boston neighborhoods of South End, Roxbury, Chinatown and beyond to continue to play competitive soccer into middle and high school years.

Through collaboration with Roxbury Youth Soccer and other programs, South End Soccer created these opportunities for urban youth to not only to develop as players, but also learn life skills such as sportsmanship, how to rise above adversity, and how to build friendships that cross backgrounds and cultures.

Deniere Watford-Jackson, parent of Girls U14 player and Co-Founder of Roxbury Youth Soccer League, has really enjoyed watching her daughter, and the team. It has given her daughter the unique opportunity to make neighborhood friends since she doesn't attend school in her community. She has watched the girls really bond, improve skill-wise and gain confidence by playing with each other. She noted that her daughter "...is developing her leadership skills through playing goalie. As goalie, she provides directions to her teammates and leads on the field. This is new for her and it is a skill that will help her in life."

The Girls U14 Coach, Monica Mulcahy is a Junior at Northeastern University, and volunteers her time to coach the team. Monica grew up playing soccer. She "loves giving soccer to other people, everyone should play soccer." Coach Monica has seen the girls become more motivated to learn and work hard. The girls are learning "you can do it, if you keep trying," and this is a life long skill. Monica hopes, "to instill a love of the game in the girls . . . I hope they are still playing in college and when they get older."

South End Soccer's Travel Director, Phi Nguyen, and South End Soccer's Co-Founders Caroline Foscato and Carolyn MacNeil remain committed to providing Boston's youth access to pathways to more competitive play, and development opportunities at any level from recreational to travel, to club and more elite levels. Under their guidance, South End Soccer in partnership with New England Rush created the South End Rush travel program. Beyond the over 350 youth participating in South End Soccer's recreational in-house league, a total of 5 boys and 2 girls travel teams compete in the BAYS league, with home games in Roxbury, and away games in towns throughout Greater Boston.

This partnership between South End Soccer, New England Rush and others, puts the needs of the player first, and allows Boston youth the opportunity to play the game at any level and development to their fullest capability. And, this is made possible thanks to The Roxbury YMCA and the City of Boston providing the fields for these teams to train and play games; and, corporations, families and community members stepping up with donations and sponsorships.

South End Soccer was founded in 2008 to provide youth in Boston (particularly South End, Roxbury and Chinatown neighborhoods) the opportunity to play the world's most popular sport regardless of prior experience or economic means. What this means is that all programming is free or at reduced rates. With the continued support of Boston Parks & Recreation; Roxbury YMCA; generous donations from parents, community members, and corporate sponsors like Northeastern University, Boston University, The Druker Company, Cambridge Trust, GTI, The Beehive and The Police Athletic League; and, partnerships with local youth programs, the limits are endless to opportunities that can be provided for urban youth to get on the field, learn a love of the game, get healthy and have fun.