NORTH TAHOE, Calif. – The soccer season may have ended, but the friendships it sparked and the community it built are just getting started after a North Tahoe youth team’s winning season.

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) U14 team’s coach, Julie Halvorsen said, “They improved at their own soccer skill levels, gained friendships, learned life lessons like humility and grace in losing, experienced generosity, discipline, accountability and respect and were very fun to coach and navigate their on-the-field expectations and their off-the-field life experiences.” 

The coach even witnessed parents develop friendships with each other.

In addition to the confidence, skills, and community gained, the North Tahoe Mega Knights, also known as the North Tahoe Lakers, earned some serious hardware, winning tournament after tournament and posting only three losses over their 10-month season.

The Mega Knights’ first tournament was the Cookies Tournament in Carson City on Oct. 25, where the team of 12- and 14-year-olds came away as tournament champions.

The win qualified the team for the Section 2 Tournament in Foster City, Calif., where the Mega Knights also took first in the December competition.

The victory qualified the team for yet another tournament, the Western Championships in Moorpark, Calif., in March.

However, participating in this tournament meant over-winter practice, something not easy in the North Tahoe climate.

Coach Halvorsen secured practice facilities throughout the winter, from elementary and middle school gyms, to at times practicing in the snow. She credits the North Tahoe Public Utility District with clearing snow from its field in Tahoe Vista, allowing the team to practice.

The following community sponsors helped pay facility use fees, as well as tournament hotel and registration fees:

• Team Blair
• Rotary Club of Tahoe City
• Kiwanis North Lake Tahoe
• Ian Casey Foundation
• Team Palisades
• Private Donors
• North Tahoe PUD 

She says the sponsorships created opportunities for the youth to play.

“We couldn’t have done this without the support of the parents, community and ambitious players,” Halvorsen said. 

The Mega Knights rose above the winter obstacles to compete at the Western Championship, placing fourth in the entire state.

Still, the team wasn’t done competing. In April, the squad took first at the Costock Shootout in Carson City.

The team wrapped up their long season at the Davis World Cup in May, finishing second after a loss in the final.

“It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved,” Halvorsen said, “and I hope it’s something that the boys are going to take with them going forward whether it’s friendships, whether it’s skill-building, whether it’s ‘I love soccer.”