Four USF Women’s Soccer Players To Represent Floirida and Georgia In USASA Region III Select Team Tournament

Chosen to represent the Florida and Georgia women’s amateur state select teams, the University of South Florida women’s soccer’s Jenny and Mindy Mulvihill (Oviedo, Fla.), Katie Reed (Norcross, Ga.) and Michelle Buskey (Tampa, Fla.) will vie for a place in the national spotlight via the USASA Region III State Select Team Tournament 2003, June 13-15, in Dallas.

Hand-picked by Florida coach Jean Varas, the Mulvihills will meet Reed and Buskey - selected by Georgia coach Michael Sabatelle - in both teams’ second game of the two-day tournament - Saturday at 4 p.m.

“Jenny and Mindy were instrumental in two of our high school state championship runs,” said Varas, who helped coach the twins as an assistant at Lake Howell High.

“Katie’s and ‘Cali’s’ (Buskey) abilities, enthusiasm and focus have been a nice bonus for our team,” said an equally complimentary Sabatelle of his players.

The regional tournament features competition from Alabama, Oklahoma, North Texas and South Texas, and sends a winner, decided in Sunday’s championship match (at Noon), to the prestigious Donnelly Cup, held Thanksgiving weekend at a location to be announced, where the nation’s other regional winners will converge to battle for the USASA national title.

This weekend’s Region III tournament will also serve as a springboard for individual advancement, as select players from the six teams will be chosen to represent the south as members of a regional team that will travel to the United States Soccer Festival, July 27 - Aug 2, in Houston, Texas. The festival’s age-eligible individuals will then fight tooth and nail for a spot in the highly coveted U-23 national pool (A or B).

“This is great experience for these four young players to be getting,” said USF head coach Logan Fleck.

“The tournament will do nothing but benefit them in becoming more mature sophomores for our team in the fall.”