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To this day, Jay Konrad still remembers when an under-6 girls soccer team from the Naperville area beat his under-6 boys team.
"Some parents couldn't believe that happened," said Konrad, who coaches boys soccer at Naperville Central and also coached girls soccer at Naperville North before retiring three years ago. "I told the parents back then that girls team was awesome. They really were even at that age."
Years later, it's now safe to say the under-6 Pink Pizazz girls team Konrad saw was a future all-star team featuring some of the best high school girls soccer players from this spring.
From Wheaton Academy's Leah Fortune (Texas), Waubonsie Valley's Vanessa DiBernardo (Illinois), Bri Rodriguez (West Virginia), Claire Hanold (DePaul) and Rachel Bostick (Illinois State) to Naperville North's Jessie Arabia (Marist) and Haley Krentz (Missouri), Neuqua Valley's Alexa Gaul (Texas) and Heather Marik (Clemson), this squad was loaded with future Division I talent.
"It's really cool to see how everyone has turned out," DiBernardo said. "Most of us all still stay in touch with one another even though we don't play together on the same team."
For four years between the ages of 5 and 9, this group grew up as soccer players under coach Hudson Fortune. Other stars included Neuqua Valley's Jenny Butler (High Point), Benet's Brynne Miller (Notre Dame), Wheaton Academy's Rachel DellaTorre, Waubonsie Valley's Kiki McClellan (Northern Iowa) and Naperville Central's Casey Short (Florida State).
"I was looking back at some of the photos, and I think it's one of the coolest things to see how it has turned out for everyone," Bostick said. "We grew up together and became friends. We went to each other's birthday parties and have a lot of memories playing together. There might be a couple professional players to come from that team, too."
Gaul says all of the girls still know who deserves a lot of credit for helping them get to where they are today.
"A lot of our success all goes back to Hudson," Gaul said. "When we were little, he had us working on foot skills and juggling right away. He helped us a ton and was always trying to make us better."
Safe to say he did a pretty good job
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I remember our boys team regularily getting crushed by Pizazz until they were about 12 or 13.Great team that Pizazz. Pity that Hudson and Team Chicago never really put the same effort into the boys team
All of Hudson's teams were great. He has a passion and commitment to the sport that has yet to be replicated. His primary focus was on the girl's team and that was evident in by their success. He had THREE daughters after all. How selfish to make a negative comment about such a talented coach. The Pizazz not only recieved exceptional direction from Hudson, but they had the heart to match that level of intensity. Maybe the boys team should have put more effort THEMSELVES into being greater rather than blaming their inadequacies on someone who did nothing but enlist an avenue for them to play.
Trust me ...I don't think that was a negative comment on Hudson, if anything it might have been a bit nostalgic.I had a boy go through the Magic merger and it was an unpleasant experience for all concerned.We felt abandoned and pawned off at the time.The time spent with Hudson and the Brazilian crew was a lot of fun but sadly it did not continue.The girls lucked out because Hudson had girls and naturally he trained them.