Kiski Area's Caffas headed for soccer tournament in Austria
Camille Caffas' soccer career has taken her to numerous tournaments all over the region.
But an opportunity for 10 days in June will take her out of the country.
The Kiski Area sophomore will represent the area and the United States at the United World Games in Klagenfurt, Austria.
“It's such a great feeling to represent my school, my family and my teammates,” Caffas said. “I can't wait to get to Europe and play against some great players from all over the world.”
Caffas, 15, was selected to the international tournament team through evaluation at the Hempfield Adidas Fall Classic in Lancaster the week before Thanksgiving.
Scouts from Team USA organizer American International Sports Teams joined college scouts at the tournament attended by her cup team, AFFC Team Ice.
AFFC Team Ice placed second at the Adidas Fall Classic in the U17 Division.
Upon returning from the tournament, Camille's mother, Alanna, received an email from AIST with the invitation.
“At first, I wasn't sure what it was all about,” Camille Caffas said. “When I found out more information, I really got excited. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
Caffas will play on a U17 team with players from all over the country. AIST's Twitter feed announced all of the team selections shortly after the evaluation period concluded.
She said she is not aware if any other players from the Pittsburgh region were selected to her U17 team or any other AIST age-group squad taking part in the United World Games.
In addition to the training and tournament games, the team members will have the opportunity to travel and see various attractions in Germany, Austria and Italy.
Caffas was a big part of the Kiski Area junior varsity girls soccer team in the fall, and Cavaliers varsity coach Melisa O'Toole said she will challenge for a starting spot on the 2017 varsity squad.
“Camille is a pretty versatile player,” O'Toole said. “We've moved her around. She's still pretty young, but she's improved a lot. The offseason, including this tournament, should grow her even more as a player and give her the push she needs to get into the varsity lineup.”
Caffas this month also is beginning her training with the PA West Olympic Development Program.
The United World Games is an Olympic-style event that features more than 5,000 athletes in several different sports coming from more than 30 countries.
For more information about AIST and the United World games, visit aist.us or unitedworldgames.com.
Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.
