Local soccer team is victorious at state championship

BUDA — The Fusion 2010 Girls, a local Buda soccer team, was victorious at the South Texas Youth Soccer Directors Cup State Championship on May 12.

The Hays Youth Soccer Association began a number of years ago when a group of soccer aficionados gathered to create a community for those who loved the sport, said director of coaching Roy Gaitan. At the time, football was the biggest sport in Texas and there was an interest and a need in the county for a space to play soccer.

The program has both a recreational sector and a club portion. According to Gaitan, there are enough individuals playing recreationally — whether that be for fun or to learn — to create approximately 15 to 20 teams, while their select club, Fusion, has 15. These teams are “travel teams,” said Gaitan, and regularly compete in events throughout the season.

Fusion is made up of age-based teams, so, typically, the members train with each other for years and are able to build a connection within the team. In the 2010 team, the girls were all born in the year 2010, so they have been working together for four to five years, explained the coach. This connection, along with hard work ethic and perseverance, is what led them to win the state championship.

Select teams go through several tournaments prior to the start of the actual season, where they will compete in the league, said Gaitan. It was here that the girls began to pick up speed. They went undefeated, earning them a spot in the playoffs. From there, they advanced to quarter-semifinals and then state finals, which was held in Round Rock.

The Fusion 2010 Girls faced off against Lonestar Red NAO, where they secured their championship 2-0.

“All their work ethic, the time they put in [shows],” said Gaitan. “It’s a fantastic group of girls. They lean on each other to support each other because it can be tough, having to travel, having to go to practice [while] having middle school sports. So, it’s a whole bunch together. It’s a combination of their dedication and work ethic.”

He also noted that without the immense support of their family, since the girls rely on them to take them to constant practices and games, that the team would not be as successful as it is.

The coach also explained that this win is monumental for several reasons: “We’re a smaller club [and] we still have that community-based feeling … [It] proves that the little guys are still around,” Gaitan said. “This team two years ago also won a state championship, so they’re the first one in club history that won two in the last three years state titles and to win state titles in two different classifications.”

As the team gets ready to enter high school, Gaitan hopes that they continue to play and challenge themselves throughout their career.

If community members are interested in the program, they can contact Gaitan at [email protected], his cellphone at (512) 740-9438 or through the team’s various social media accounts.

For more information, visit www.haysyouthsoccer.org.