Bucks County athletes were key in the recent 2022 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship. Andrew Robinson reported on the sports updates for PaPrepLive.

Coppa Rage, the victors, becomes the first Philadelphia-area players to take that title since 1976.

In the final, Taylor Mays (Pennsbury H.S., Fairless Hills) and Samantha Ridler (North Penn H.S., Lansdale) led the game to victory. Emma Levin (Hatboro-Horsham H.S) scored just 35 seconds into the game.

In that last match, Mays of Pennsbury assessed early that her team’s array of weapons — offensive players needing diligent Tonka Fusion defense — outnumbered the threats Fusion posed itself.

But the victory was no cakewalk. The opening game saw the locals facing a Dallas foe that had beaten them before. And by halftime, Coppa Rage was down 2–0.

The championship loss the year prior — when Coppa Rage came up short in the final — became a motivator.

“Remembering what it was like watching another team get the medals was really motivating,
 Mays said. “We looked at each other, and you could see we all knew we weren’t going to lose.”

Coppa Rage came back for a 3–2 victory, advancing toward its ultimate crown.

More on the Coppa Rage victory is at PaPrepLive.