Kirkland residents Amy Johnson and Danika Bethune recently returned from Virginia Beach, Va. where they helped their team the Crossfire Premier Schmetzer ’94 to the national soccer championship. The girls competed in the 2009 National Cup VIII Finals, sponsored by U.S. Club Soccer. The team is coached by Andy Schmetzer and Pat Williams.

The National Cup begins with 10 regional tournaments held across the country from Memorial Day weekend through the July 4 holiday weekend. The Crossfire team had earned a berth at the national finals by walking away with top honors in the U.S. Club Cup “Region G” Regional Championships this Independence Day weekend in Burlington, Wash. There, the girls went undefeated against some of the toughest teams in the Northwest, including Les Bois Elite from Idaho, FC Portland Marine from Oregon, and FC Eastside from Bellevue.

Playing tough despite heat and humidity in Virginia, as well as the three-hour time change, the girls defeated regional champs Freestate Elite from Maryland, Arsenal Power from New Jersey and faced off in a rematch in the finals against the Chicago Fire, winning 1‑0 (fighting Fire with Fire).

Johnson and Bethune have been Crossfire Premier teammates since they were nine years old. This fall, Johnson will be attending Rose Hill Junior High and hopes to play soccer for the Lake Washington Kangs, while Bethune, a student at International Community School, hopes to play for the Juanita High School Rebels.