INTERNATIONAL FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

THREE SCORPIONS WIN U17 TITLE

Ava Quintin, Ciara O’Driscoll and Anna Carosi (all on the Scorpions 2009 ECNL-RL coached by Scott Bessette) played in the Puerto Rico International Futsal Championship in San Juan this summer. They played up an age group (2008) went undefeated and won the championship!

Scorpions Spotlight caught up with Ava and Ciara and asked them about their adventure:

SS: Please chart your Scorpions journey.

Ava Quintin: I started Scorpion’s in 2023 on Adam’s ECRL team then in 2024 I moved to Scott’s team. We made it to playoffs and had a good season.

Ciara O’Driscoll: I started on the new ECRL team with Adam in 2023 where we had a great season and I got moved to Scott’s team for the 2024-25 season where we also had a great year. We had good league play and made it to regionals.

SS: How have Scorpions coaches influenced your development?

AQ: Adam (Hughes) helped me get better as a player and made me earn my spot. He believed in me. Scott gave me confidence to try new skills on the field, which allowed me to become a better player. 

CO: I think Adam and Scott have both broadened my understanding of the game. I also think Darren’s trainings have helped me gain confidence and better my technique.

SS: How has Coach Scott impacted your soccer life?

AQ: Scott has impacted my soccer life by his positive attitude on and off the field. He recognizes my mistakes and helps me correct them. 

CO: Coach Scott has made me feel more heard and has helped me feel more confident in goal. he’s also helped me with my college search.

SS: Did Young Starz have to qualify for the championship? What was the road to Puerto Rico?

CO: We went to Atlantic City in February and made it to the semi finals and that solidified our spot for Puerto Rico. Atlantic City was also a test but I’m glad we went because the competition there was good.

SS: How was your experience abroad? What was your most memorable non-soccer moment?

AQ: I enjoyed going to the beach and to different restaurants. I liked going to the rainforest it is a memory I will never forget.

CO: Our experience was great! The culture is very strong in Puerto Rico and i think the most memorable thing we did was go through the rain forest. It was such a cool thing to see.

SS: Explain the format of the competition. 

AQ: The competition was 3 group stage games and the top 2 teams move on to finals. We were the #1 seed because we won all our games

SS: Please recount the championship game.

AQ: We came out confident and ready. We knew they were going to come out hard. They had the home court advance and quadruple the amount of fans cheering them on. We were up 2-0 then in the second half we were tied 2-2. In the end we got the win by getting a goal in the last minute winning the game 3-2. It was so exciting! 

CO: We came out strong in the championship game, going up 2-0. We conceded before the half ended and with about 7 minutes left, surf tied up the game at 2-2. We got the ball and started working up the court. Finally, we found our open left allah and she banged it past the keeper. 

SS: Please describe your emotions at the final whistle.

AQ: I was so relieved at the final whistle. It felt like all our hard work payed off. It felt great to get first place especially internationally.

SS: What did you think about on the flight home?

AQ: On the flight home I thought about how glad I was to take home the trophy. I also thought about how I was going to miss Puerto Rico’s culture and the people.

CO: On the flight home I was excited to be going home with a trophy but I was also excited to sleep in my own bed!