Mount Vernon's Sting U11 girls reach state cup

For the first time in more than 25 years of club history, a Sting soccer team will compete for the Ohio State Cup.

After battling through a weekend of tough preliminary matches, the Sting U11 girls earned their place at championship weekend for the Ohio State Cup, Ohio’s statewide soccer tournament. Sting is a soccer club based in Mount Vernon.

Championship weekend will be held May 16-17 in Columbus. The top two teams from the northern preliminaries and the top two teams from the southern preliminaries will meet in the semifinals, with Sting and Sporting Columbus representing the southern division.

The Ohio State Cup is considered one of the most important events on Ohio’s youth soccer calendar. As the state’s premier statewide tournament, it gives teams the opportunity to test themselves against top clubs from across Ohio in a championship-level setting. The competition is known for high-level matchups, exceptional talent and the kind of intensity that defines elite youth soccer. Advancing to championship weekend places Sting among the top teams in the state in its age group.

For Sting, the accomplishment marks a historic moment. As a smaller soccer club with just one U11 girls team competing in this age group, Sting is going up against much larger clubs that often have multiple teams across various divisions. That makes this run feel like something of a Cinderella story — a small club proving it belongs among the best in the state.

The team’s success is not new. Last fall this Sting team was named champion of the Ohio Champions League in the highest division of play. Now the girls have their eyes set on an even bigger prize: the Ohio State Cup.

Several local players helped lead Sting through the preliminary round including River View Intermediate School students Scarlett Cohen, Emilia Lonsinger and Malania Miller. All three girls are starters on the team and played hard throughout a demanding weekend of high-level competition.

Lonsinger had a standout performance, scoring eight of Sting’s 10 goals during the preliminary matches and adding one assist. Cohen also found the back of the net, scoring one goal off an assist from Lonsinger. Miller contributed several assists to Lonsinger during the tournament, helping create scoring opportunities in tough matches.