Kelly Stambaugh could not have received a better 16th birthday present than the one she gave herself. On June 22, Stambaugh and her Maryland Olympic Development Program 1992 (16-U girls) repeated as Region I champions, earning one of four spots in the National Championships, March 7-9 in Frisco, Texas.

"It was the sweetest treat I could have for my Sweet 16," said Stambaugh, a goalkeeper on the team.

Region I is made up of 13 states from Virginia to Maine. The Maryland ODP girls had to survive the "bracket of death" earlier this month in the Region I quarterfinals, outscoring New York, West Virginia and Massachusetts by a combined 6-2 to make it into the four-team semifinal round.

"We had to play the three hardest teams," midfielder Kristen Schmidbauer said.

Stambaugh lives in Clarksville and just completed her sophomore year at Chapelgate Christian Academy. Schmidbauer, also a rising junior, attends Glenelg High School. Ellie Axenfeld, Schmidbauer's teammate on the 2007 Class 1A state champion Glenelg team, is also part of the Maryland ODP team, but she did not travel to Delaware for the region championships.

Stambaugh and Schmidbauer each played on the 1992 Girls last year, but had to try out again this year against 80 to 90 of Maryland's best 16-and-under players, some from as far away as St. Mary's County. The two also play together on the Virginia-based Vista Shockwave, the fifth ranked U-16 girls team in the nation.

Last weekend the Maryland girls, coached by Peye Garcia, faced their toughest test in the semifinals against Eastern New York South, winning, 2-1, in overtime.

"It was just a great feeling because we wanted it so bad, and it was so hot and we were exhausted," Stambaugh said. "Our team was able to pull together."

Maryland went on to defeat Connecticut in the finals, 3-1.

Now the 1992 Girls will try to improve on their third-place finish at the 2007 ODP National Championships. Even taking the all-expenses paid trip is a lifetime memory, say Stambaugh and Schmidbauer, so they don't take for granted their chance to do it twice.

"It was an amazing experience (last year)," Stambaugh said. "After getting a taste we definitely wanted to go back."

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