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For the second consecutive year Sanders County will be represented on an elite soccer team in Missoula.

Ava Lawyer and Claire Wrobleski, both of Plains, were recently selected to play for the Missoula Strikers, which is considered a premier soccer team that competes throughout the state, as well as against teams from Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and California.

"I had confidence in myself. I tried my hardest, but I was surprised and excited," said Lawyer, who received an email two weeks ago that she'd be playing on the Missoula U13 girls team. "I felt like I did good at tryouts, but it was cold and lots of snow and it's harder for me to get my body going in the cold," said the 12-year-old.

For Wrobleski, it was a telephone call from one of the coaches giving her good and bad news. The 16-year-old had tried out for the U18 and U17 teams. This was her second season to play on a Strikers team. She tried out and made the U17 team last year, too. She was fairly certain she would make the U17 team once again, but she wasn't sure about the older girls team. The coach told her she was a good player, but would play more on the U17 team.

Wrobleski said she wanted to play for the older team, which had a tougher tryout, but was satisfied that she was picked for the younger girls team. The tryout for the U17 team was easier, something she attributes to the experience she gained in playing for the Strikers last year. The coach also told her he hopes she tries out for the U18 team next year. "They are essentially the top girls soccer team for that age bracket in Montana," said Wrobleski, who has played soccer since age 4 in Plains.

Lawyer, too, has played since she was 4 years old. Both girls have played on different levels on the Clark Fork Alliance Soccer Club in Plains, including girls and coed teams. Lawyer also played on a Washington team during the 2019-2020 season. Her team nabbed second place in the Inter Montana Champion Cup in Missoula in the spring of this year and also in the spring took second in the Montana state tournament.

Lawyer's team, the Clark Fork Alliance Soccer Club, last year had six wins, six losses and three draws during the regular season, with Lawyer playing mostly as a left wing attacker or a striker. "That's where I do my best and where I'm best for the team," said Lawyer.  She also plans to play on the Plains Junior High School basketball team this year, making for a busy schedule to add to her two evenings a week training schedule with the Strikers, which already started for both girls.

"It's a big commitment for us as a family, but as long as Ava is committed to the game and to her teams, then her mom and I are committed to giving her this opportunity," said Nick Lawyer, her father, who's been a soccer coach for over 12 years. Lawyer has traveled across the state to play soccer and has been a guest player for soccer tournaments. She also played with the Montana Development Program's All Star U12 team and participated in a tournament in Phoenix.

"Her mom and I are very proud for her. She's worked very hard to improve her skills, learn the game, and to grow as a player. She very much wants to play competitive soccer and this lets her do that," he said.

Dave Wrobleski, Claire's father, agreed that playing for the Missoula Strikers is a big commitment, partly because of the travel time to Missoula twice a week for two hours a day for practice and because the Strikers travel a lot more than the Plains club, which is considered a "classic" team, the lowest level of youth soccer in Montana. "They are among the best in the state, playing against Billings, Bozeman, Kalispell etc," said Dave, referring to the Strikers. "Winners of those premier games play at regional tournaments in Boise each year," added Dave, who coached soccer in Plains for two years and is the league president.

"I want to be a better player and the way to do that is to challenge myself," said Wrobleski, who is a high school sophomore and looking into playing soccer at the college level. "I love soccer; it's the thing I love doing most, so it's worth it for me." Last year, she played mostly at the defensive mid field position and sometimes as a striker. However, she's not the only soccer player at home. Her two sisters, Rachel and Katherine, and both brothers, Andrew and Martin, are avid soccer players. When not playing last year, Wrobleski served as a referee for Plains games.

"For our family, Claire is the one who absolutely loves soccer, wants to play in college, and works really hard year round at the game, so we have tried to help her in it," said Dave.

Lawyer is only in seventh grade, but believes she would also like to play in college someday. Nick said that the Strikers can offer a higher level of the game than the Clark Fork Alliance Club can offer. "I think Ava reads the game well and makes good decisions. She's very competitive and is a committed player who fights for every ball in every moment. She enjoys the wing position and the striker position and has a solid shot from distance on the left wing," he said.

Nick said Ava is a great player on a team of local players, but she wanted a more competitive environment and new challenges. "I think I'd say she's accelerated her development and has succeeded in Plains and wants more competitive training than we can give her here," he said. "One of the things that drew us to the Strikers program is their solid commitment to helping players maximize their development. They have a great record of getting players to college programs. If that's what Ava wants to do, we'll help her with that," he added.

Lawyer's team has a tournament scheduled in March and the regular season begins in April. "I'm really excited about getting the opportunity to play and be coached by some really excellent coaches," said Lawyer. Wrobleski's team has recently held practice indoors and outdoors, but she said that with winter weather approaching she guesses they'll be doing more indoor training. Her team's regular season begins in late March.