Tessa Devereaux was selected to play for the 1994 Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region 1 girls team at an ODP Interregional Event which was held in Florida in November 2009. The following is an account of Tessa’s trip and experience:

"This November I was offered one of the best opportunities in my soccer career. I was invited to travel Coral Springs, Florida, to play in a tournament with the Region I ODP Team. After much consideration from both my parents and me, we accepted the invitation, and before I knew it I was boarding a plane to Florida.

            We arrived in Coral Springs on Saturday afternoon, and after checking into the hotel we had our first training session. The fields were absolutely perfect and there were palm trees everywhere. The temperature remained in the mid-80’s for most of the week, which felt really good compared to Syracuse, but it also took a little getting used to on the field. During this session, we worked on 1v1’s and we played a few small-sided games.

            The next day, we had two training sessions. In the morning, we worked on set pieces, and they announced the starting line-up. I was really surprised to learn that I would be starting at center midfield, when at first I didn’t even think I would get playing time. Later that day, we had another training session where we worked on team defending, and walked through a few more set pieces. Later that night we got to see the U15 National Team play Costa Rica, which was a really interesting game to watch. It was fun because since they stayed at the same hotel as us, we were able to talk to them in Spanish.

            Our first game was on Monday against Region IV. This was definitely our weakest game, as we were beat 3-0. Our main problem was that we were not staying compact while on defense, and the few chances we had on our attack we did not finish. Personally, I think I played well, but it was very nerve-wracking knowing that there were at least 30 college coaches lining the field! It was somewhat understandable that we did not play very well, because it was the first time most of us have play together.

            On Tuesday, we had another training session, and later we watched video of our previous game.  In the training we really focused on defending in the midfield, and linking up with our forwards.

            Wednesday we were supposed to have our second game, but it had rained all night, and they were worried about damaging the fields, so our games were cancelled. Instead, we saw the movie Twilight as a team, and later we had Thanksgiving dinner a day early.

            We played our second game on Thursday against Region II, which would prove to be our only win of the week. We were not very affective on our attack in the first half. But in the second, we started applying higher pressure all over the field, and we saw a greater number of scoring opportunities. With about five minutes left, we were able to score a goal just outside the 6-yard box, which proved to be the deciding goal. Since it was our last night there, our team went to the beach, which felt so good after a really hot week.

            Friday was our last day in Coral Springs, and also our last game of the tournament. We were playing Region III, and the game was fairly early in the morning. In the first ten minutes of the game, the thrill of my entire trip came…I scored a goal! It felt really good, because I placed it to the back-post with my left foot, something I have worked on all summer. Unfortunately, though, we didn’t achieve the result we wanted, as we lost 5-2. After being down by one goal going into the second half, our defense began to fall apart and they put in three quick goals on us. Even though we had wanted to end on a good note for the week, our coaches were very happy with how we had played that week, and we finished with a record of 1-2.

            Never in a million years would I have though I would be given an opportunity like this. This gave me the opportunity to see some of the best players in my age group in the country, and play alongside some of these girls. It also gave me an idea of some of my strengths, as well as aspects of my game that I need to work on. The coaches I had offered much advice about how I can improve my play, as well as where I stand compared to other players.

I want to thank all of those who have helped me get to this point, including my parents, my sister, and my coaches. Most of all, though, I want to thank my teammates who push me to achieve my full potential everyday in training, and inspire me to work even harder. I will always remember this trip that I learned so much from."

~Tessa Devereaux