Fifteen year-old New Jersey star soccer player has been named to the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program for New Jersey for third time in past four years.
Cassandra Ferguson, star Center Midfielder from Neptune, New Jersey has been named as one of the members of the New Jersey Girls 2003 Olympic Development Program (ODP) for the 2018-2019 season.
The U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (ODP) is the premier national identification and development program for high-level soccer players and every one of the girls who play for the United States Women’s national team came from the ranks of the ODP. Players are selected through open tryouts from each state according to birth year and are conducted by the state association coaches who look to identify and train players with superior skills.
For many players, ODP is their first chance to be recognized for their soccer prowess but coaches do not look for just skilled players alone. Players must show aptitude in the following areas to be considered for the team:
1- Technique
2- Tactics
3- Fitness and Athletic Ability
4- Psychological component (attitude)
This is the third time in the past four years that fifteen year-old Cassandra has been named to the prestigious team and is looking forward to once again applying her skills in playing against the best players from around the East Region in tournaments over the next year.
Cassandra has been the starting Center Midfielder for her high school team during both her freshman and a sophomore years at Neptune High School and has played the past six season as both a Forward and Center Midfielder for the Wall Elite Lizards travelling team based out of Wall, New Jersey.
When asked what this means to her career as a soccer player, she replied, “It means all the hard work I’ve put into working out, upgrading my skills and playing soccer year round has paid off. I take soccer very, very seriously and have a passion for the game. I will never let anyone outwork me and my dream is to play for the women’s national team someday.”
The young lady lists Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Julie Ertz as her favorite women soccer players and uses them as motivation to become the best player she can be. She’s even installed a regulation-sized net in her front yard so she can work on her shot without having to go to the local soccer fields when no one is around to play with her.
To learn more about the NJ ODP team you can visit their website at:
http://www.njyslive.com/odp-program-information
For more information regarding Cassandra and her quest to represent the U.S. women’s Soccer team you can contact her at:
phone: 732-533-3813
Email: [email protected]
