This won't be a typical teen-age summer for Jane Cargill ofBelmont and Shannon Murphy of Medford.
Instead of the usual part-time jobs and precollege fun-in-the-sunparties, Cargill and Murphy will be in Europe playing for theAmerican Soccer Ambassadors on a good-will tour throughout Englandand Scotland.
The two are the only Massachusetts representatives, and they arebeing rewarded for all-star seasons -- Cargill in the MiddlesexLeague and Murphy in the Greater Boston League. They will meetteammates from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, NewMexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Vermont July 22 at LoganAirport.
They will return home Aug. 9 after games against all-star highschool and club teams, which both Cargill and Murphy expect to beconsiderably tougher than the competition they are used to playingagainst here.
'It's a great opportunity,' said Cargill, 'not only to berepresenting your country over there, but to have a chance to becoached by the Ambassadors' European pro coaching staff. And we'llhave a chance to see so many cultural things. This is something I'llremember for the rest of my life.'
Murphy called the prospect of playing soccer overseas 'achallenge I am very excited about. I think we'll be playing verytalented, very skilled teams -- teams we don't know anything about,but teams I'm sure which play at a very high level.'
In addition to the games, the young women will participate inseminars on nutrition and sports injuries.
Cargill and Murphy must foot the expenses for their 19-day trip(approximately $3,000), and they did it in different ways. Cargill'sparents were able to help considerably, while Medford residentsrallied to Murphy's cause. Once overseas, they'll be housed atuniversities in England and Scotland.
Cargill, 18, played three years of soccer at Lexington beforeher family moved to Belmont last year. When Cargill began playing atBelmont, she was reunited with coach Vekan Anserlian, for whom sheplayed for two years in the Bay State Games.
When she got her invitation to be part of the team, Cargillsays, she was honored but didn't think she'd be able to attendbecause of the cost. 'My family supported me considerably. Withouttheir help, I wouldn't be going. But they knew it was aonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity and did all that they could to help.'
For college, Cargill will attend Division 1 soccer power StonyBrook on Long Island in the fall. She had originally committed tothe University of Kentucky, but after visiting Stony Brook, she gotthe feeling she was more wanted there.
Murphy, 17, played four years at Medford under coach Al Luongoand was a Greater Boston League all-star her junior and senior years.She has been playing soccer since she was 5 and is a product of theMedford youth leagues. She is bound for Aquinas College in the fall,but will likely hook up with an independent team because there is nosoccer program at the Michigan school.
'I've never been overseas before,' said Murphy. 'I'm lookingforward to not only playing, but to seeing England and Scotland aswell. It's a chance to meet new friends and a chance to see how ourbrand of soccer here compares to what's played over there.'
The American Soccer Ambassadors, based in western Massachusetts,will be going abroad for the 10th time. The first seven were toEngland, Belgium, Germany and Holland, and the last two to England,Scotland and Ireland. ASA spokesman Jeff Lombard said that thisyear's trip is limited to England and Scotland because of the intenselevel of play found in those two areas.
Cargill and Murphy were selected because of their all-starcaliber.
