Built in Wichita, crowned at home: Local girls soccer team wins national title
For nearly three months, opponents could barely score against the 2012 Blaze Academy girls soccer team.
On Saturday morning, with a national championship on the line in its own city, the Wichita girls made sure Colorado Rush never did.
Roxanne Bleything scored both goals in a 2-0 victory at Scheels Stryker Sports Complex, completing an unbeaten championship run in which the Wichita-based squad outscored opponents 38-1 across 12 matches and captured the 14U girls title at the US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup.
As the final whistle sounded, years of work gave way to hugs, cheers and celebration.
“It was honestly kind of a blur,” Blaze coach Jamie Harding said. “I was so excited to watch the girls fulfill everything that they’ve been working towards this summer. Just seeing the joy on their face and running around and celebrating with each other, that’s really what it’s all about.”
The championship roster included Emery Blasdel, Bleything, Mia Brown, Emily Friedberg, Hannah Friedberg, Layla Gadbury, Rylee Gerber, Elle Gutschenritter, Lyric Hessen, Hattie Horsch, Emma Kliewer, Lainey Martinson, Kennedy Newell, Aniston Rolf, Micaela Saldana, Quinn Sunderman and Emma Weakly.
Bleything broke through after a patient buildup in the attacking third. She beat a defender just outside the penalty area, then whipped a shot with her dangerous left foot past the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
The cushion came later off a corner kick from Sunderman. Bleything aggressively attacked the service in the box and finished for her second goal of the championship match.
While Bleything supplied the scoring, Gutschenritter was named tournament MVP for Wichita.
The title capped a dominant summer, but the road became more difficult once the national tournament arrived in Wichita.
The team had rolled through the Kansas Presidents Cup in May, winning all three matches by a combined score of 13-0. In June, Wichita went 4-0 at the North Central Presidents Cup in Des Moines, Iowa, and outscored its opponents 17-0 to earn a place in the national field.
For seven straight matches, no opponent had scored.
Then nationals presented the group with something new.
Wichita conceded its first goal of the entire run in its opening pool-play match and settled for a draw against a team from Virginia. The squad then responded with a 5-0 victory over an opponent from New Jersey, then played Colorado Rush to a scoreless draw in its final pool match.
Instead of advancing after another string of comfortable victories, Wichita moved into bracket play as the second qualifier from its pool.
The pressure increased. The margins narrowed.
But Harding believed the group’s closeness became even more valuable once the tournament demanded something different.
“We try to keep everybody together and get them to know each other, both on and off the field,” Harding said. “There’s no separation on this team. It makes our job as coaches easier to develop them because it’s just a great group of kids.”
Wichita responded with consecutive shutouts.
The team defeated Alaska Rush 2-0 in Friday’s semifinal to earn a second chance against Colorado Rush. One day after punching its ticket into the final, Wichita won the rematch with another 2-0 victory to complete an unbeaten championship run.
“These girls just wanted it so bad,” Harding said. “That’s what made it so enjoyable to see them succeed and reach their goals.”
The chemistry did not develop overnight.
The core of the team has played together for years, first developing under Wichita United club president Jorge De La Torre before Harding took over the group in November 2024. The club has since merged with Wichita Surf Soccer Club, where Harding serves as director of girls coaching.
A former standout at Wichita South and Newman who later played professionally for the Wichita Wings, Harding brought a player-development background to a group already eager to grow.
Most of the players recently completed eighth grade and will enter high school as freshmen this fall, but Harding said their willingness to learn has long set them apart.
Players routinely arrived early to practice to sharpen their individual skills. They embraced film study, video sessions and new tactical concepts. Whatever Harding and his staff introduced, the team wanted to understand it and find a way to apply it.
“This group was really self-motivated,” Harding said. “They all had a goal that they wanted to reach together, and you could see it in their commitment and their hard work.”
That shared investment helped build a team capable of winning in different ways.
Wichita could overwhelm opponents when opportunities opened, as it did while scoring 30 unanswered goals during the state and regional tournaments.
But when the national tournament produced two draws and tighter matches, the group did not splinter. The players trusted one another, stayed connected and found a way through.
The setting made the championship even more meaningful.
A year earlier, the national tournament had been held in Tampa, Florida. This time, Wichita played in its own backyard.
Friends, family members and supporters from the local soccer community lined the field on Saturday morning. Wichita Mayor Lily Wu was among those in attendance.
Harding believed the hometown support helped propel the group through the final stage of its championship journey.
Instead of traveling across the country for the biggest matches of the season, the Wichita Surf team had an entire community behind it.
For years, the group had arrived early, studied film, learned new ideas and grown closer away from the field.
On Saturday, all of that work led to one final scene: 17 Wichita girls racing toward one another in celebration on a field in their hometown with nowhere else they would rather have won a national championship.
This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 3:36 PM.
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