In 2013, the Lowndes High Vikettes soccer team won the region championship and advanced to the Elite Eight of the state playoffs. As of the middle of March this year, the Vikettes were in the hunt for another region title. The secret to their success is really no secret at all: great coaching, experienced players who refuse to lose, and confidence that transcends any opponent or game situation. It doesn’t hurt they have three players who are participating in US Youth Soccer’s prestigious Olympic Development Program (ODP), either.
ODP has as its ultimate goal to choose a pool of elite players who will participate in international competition. A secondary goal is to select the very best soccer players from each region of the country and expose them to the best coaches and competition in the United States. While in ODP, these players will see how the game is played at the next level. They will also learn valuable skills they can bring back to their high school and/or club teams.
To have one player in ODP is something special. To have three in an area like South Georgia – that borders on unfair. The three young ladies in question – sophomore Elizabeth Lott and juniors Haylee Gordon and Emilie Tessier – are among the most talented players in the region. Through their involvement in ODP, they have only gotten better and are a big reason why Lowndes has been playing at such a high level.
 |
 |
 |
| Elizabeth Lott | Haylee Gordon | Emilie Tessier |
Though they are high school teammates, they play on different ODP teams. The teams are organized by age. Because she is younger, Lott plays in a different age group than Gordon and Tessier. The epicenter of Georgia’s ODP is the Atlanta area. That’s where the girls tried out and that’s where they go twice a month to practice. Earlier this year, they played sub-regionals on a frozen field in the metro area. Lott’s ODP 98 team earned a berth in the national tournament, which was held in Phoenix, Arizona. Her team came back with a bronze medal. “I got to play out there. It was a great experience,” says Lott, who plays defender for her ODP team. While neither Gordon nor Tessier made it to nationals, their respective teams won games at sub-regionals.
The girls describe the experience of playing against the best in the country as educational and beneficial but at the same time nerve-wracking and intense. In South Georgia high school soc
cer, players are on the field with varying degrees of experience. There are some very good players around here but there are also players on some teams that don’t play club soccer or aren’t looking for a future in the game beyond high school. Not so in ODP – those girls are elite level players who play fast, hard, and strong. There is no opportunity to take it easy on a play or a possession. Everybody is good and everyone wants to make it to the next level. “It’s a fast game, and it teaches you a lot about the game and about yourself,” says Gordon. “Then when we play out here, we can see more of the field and we can read our opponents better.”
All three young ladies would like to play soccer in college. Most likely, they will have their chance. And when they get there, they will know exactly what to expect. “Our ODP coaches are all college coaches. One or two have coached professionally in Europe. We get to see how players at the next level practice and prepare. This is a great opportunity and it gives players a lot of 
exposure to college programs. It’s a great opportunity all the way around,” says Gordon.
Special Feature/South Georgia/April 2014
Haylee Gordon, Elizabeth Lott, Emilie Tessier
Lowndes High School
Valdosta, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Photography by Micki K Photography
Trio of soccer Vikettes participate in US Youth Soccer’s Olympic Development Program
