Remarkable feat

If required to write a report on one’s summer vacation, it would be tough to top the experiences of Tonya Schnibbe.

Juggling basketball and soccer and traveling coast-to-coast, Schnibbe was a contributing member on two national championship teams.

She played on the Spokane Stars basketball team that compiled a 51-1 record and won three major tournaments, in Arizona, Oregon and the nationals in Seattle.

That basketball done, she switched uniforms, boarded a plane for New York and led scoring for the Spokane Shadow, which won the U.S. Club Soccer National Cup Championship on Long Island with a 3-0-1 record.

“It was the biggest experience of my life going to New York, and even to Arizona, and winning two national championships in one summer,” said Schnibbe. “I don’t think anything can be better than that.”

Tough to argue.

The Shadow advanced to the title game in New York by winning its four-team pool.

Schnibbe scored and Annie Virnig starred in goal during a 1-1 tie with the Boston Renegades to open group play. Alex Marquard scored two goals, and Schnibbe the other in the Shadow’s 3-2 win over North Carolina. Schnibbe, and Tori Crain had second-half goals during a 2-0 win over the Buffalo/Niagara Kiss.

In the title game, a 1-0 double-overtime victory over Windy City Pride of Chicago, Schnibbe’s corner kick to Lacey Castleberry with under two minutes to play in the second OT was headed into the net for the winner.

The Shadow’s national championship during the first weekend in August came two weeks after the Spokane soccer club’s U-14 team had finished second in the nine-team national championship in North Carolina. Both were honored for their accomplishments Monday by the Spokane City Council.

“The kids can hang their hat on the national championship which was a first in Spokane,” said Shadow co-coach Kieran Barton. “And the U-14s finishing second; that’s a fantastic showing.”

Barton said that his team had not fulfilled its potential including a disappointing run in state cup competition during the Washington Youth Soccer Association Premier I season last year.

But the group put it all together during the U.S. Club regional tournament in Boise, also compiling a 3-0-1 record to win without some team members, including Schnibbe.

Schnibbe, said she had told the Stars they’d have her in July, not anticipating that the Shadow would play in regionals.

“I felt bad,” she said. “It was very exciting when I heard they won it.”

The trip was memorable for the team in several ways. They toured New York City, including Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty, and put together an impressive tournament.

“Besides the 18 girls and coaching staff we may have been the only group of people who thought we had a chance of winning,” said Barton, a former Seattle Sounder who still plays for the Shadow men’s team and coaches at Gonzaga University.

The tie with Boston to open play, he said, was huge.

“For a significant portion of the team, they hadn’t been anywhere near New York,” he said. “I figured if they could get through the first game they’d realized they were there to play in a soccer tournament.”

Not only play in it, but win it and become the top team out of 800 U.S. Club Soccer teams. And it made a two-time national champion out of Schnibbe.

“I could have never imagined anything like this,” said Schnibbe. “Two championships in one summer is remarkable.”

Unlike their counterpart, the younger Shadow team, coached by Jeff Robbins, had come within an eyelash of winning the 15-U WYSA State Cup, losing 1-0 in the championship.

“If we’d have won we’d have been Spokane’s first girls champs ever,” said Robbins. “It was disappointing, but a good learning experience.”

They played out-of-state when possible to improve themselves for future state play, he said, and won regionals in Boise to earn the trip to Cary, N.C.

“It was a fantastic experience,” said Robbins.

And a winning one. The team beat FC Greater Boston 3-0, with all goals coming in the first half; tied Marin FC from California, 1-1; and beat West Chester, Pa., 5-2 to win the group.

Tiara Pittman had two hat tricks and was the tourney’s leading scorer with six goals. Ali Fenter, said Robbins, was one of the best defenders in the tournament.

After falling behind Santa Rosa United, another California team, 1-0 at half in the tourney semifinals, the Shadow scored twice in the second half — Rachael Lowe scored first and Marissa Mykines hit the winner going one-on-one against the goalkeeper for the upset victory.

“Santa Rosa was clearly the best team we’ve played,” said Robbins. “Their goalkeeper is in the national pool and they are huge.”

After the final whistle, he said, he couldn’t find a player to congratulate because they were all running around the field screaming.

In a rematch with Marin for the national title, the Shadow led 1-0 at half, but gave up two goals in five minutes at the start of the second half and ultimately lost 3-1.

“We ended up a goal short which doesn’t take anything away from them,” said Robbins. “The future is bright for this group.”

As for the U-17 team, Robbins, who directs the Spokane Shadow club program, offered his congratulations on their national title.

“This is our fifth year and the older group is our first graduating class,” he said. “I couldn’t think of a better group for it to happen to.”