By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Eight-year-old Stadium Drive Elementary student Evelyn Taylor held U.S. women’s gold medalist goalie Hope Solo’s hand.
Aila Paukovits, also 8, wore the U.S. national women’s team uniform that night, slept in it, and wore it to school Friday she was so geeked to see her heroes.
Evelyn and Aila, along with the seven other soccer players of the Lake Orion Vardar North U9 team, led the U.S. women’s national team onto Ford Field last Thursday before an exhibition match between the World Cup Champions U.S. team and Haiti. The U.S. team won, 5-0.
Lake Orion’s seven and eight year old soccer players met the team in the tunnel, walked them onto the field, and were broadcasted live on Fox Sports.
Most importantly, they saw what hard work and perseverance looked like on the big field.
‘It was a great thing to emulate and look up to,? Vardar North president Matt Paukovits said. ‘To see that the women’s game brought 35,000 people there’it was big deal for them.?
Paukovits is also the Lake Orion High School boy’s varsity coach, and said that LOHS donated the use of their goals for the actual game too.
‘There were quite a few people from the community involved with it, so it was good to see that partnership between the schools, between Ford Field, the community-based program Vardar, as well as U.S. soccer come together for a great event.?