The MI Force girls U14 soccer team traveled to Sweden this summer for the 2012 Gothia Cup soccer tournament.

The tournament, held every year in Gothenburg, Sweden, features over 1,000 teams from 78 countries from ages 10 through 20.

The MI Force was one of 93 teams from 10 countries in the U14 category, playing against five other U.S. teams from Honolulu, Las Vegas, California and Long Island, N.Y. Throughout the trip, the girls got the chance, not only to play soccer against top teams, but to meet new friends and travel around Sweden. The Force also had the honor of being one of three U.S. teams to walk in the opening ceremony parade in front of 58,000 people. Hanna Noren read the Gothia Pledge in English in front of the entire stadium, with five other players reading the pledge in their own language.

In group play, the team battled defensively to a 0-0 tie. In the second game, playing Centern, IF from Sweden, the teams again held a strong defensive line, tying 0-0.

Force’s final group game was against IF Brommapojkarn, a well known Sweden club. The Force won 1-0 with the only goal scored in the last minutes of the second half by Maile Moll, assisted by Nikole Pham.

Moving into the elimination round, the team first faced another Swedish team, winning 1-0 on a late goal by Sam Mills. In their second game of the day, the team battled IFK Orby, from Sweden, this time to a 0-0 tie and then to penalty kicks. Three from the Mercer Island team hit the mark, and moved the team into the quarterfinals the next day.

In their final game of the tournament, the Mercer Islanders played IFK Uddervalla, losing 1-0 after the Swedish team scored in the final minute of the first half, ending the Force’s tournament.

The MI Force team includes: Nikole Pham, Maile Moll, Gabi Kasman, Lily Peet-Martel, Camryn Steiner, Kate Daugherty, Anneka Allard, Kelsey Scanlan, and Sidney Montague, Nalani Ogawa, Anna Gallagher, Bella Johnson, Kayla Tsang, Samantha Mills, and Hanna Noren.