Athens now has a nationally ranked 9 to 11-year-old girls’ soccer team.

CottonTown United, under head coach Micah Ledbetter, completed their first undefeated season in club history. The girls had a 13-0-1 record in tournament games that catapulted them into a top 50 national ranking and made them the number two team in the state for their age group.

“These players have blessed me more than I have ever done for them,” Ledbetter, who finished his 16th season with CottonTown United, said. “This is an unbelievable group of girls that I have been able to see grow up as their coach, so it’s a great team to be a part of.”

The local soccer club successfully competed in four different state tournaments this past season; Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama. CottonTown United’s team won the Tupelo Classic in February, the Pensacola Classic in March, the Rally at Ridley in April, and then the Apollo Cup in May.

“The girls play the exact same way they live, with a lot of pride,” Ledbetter said. “Our greatest strength as a team is our players because they are coachable, respectful, and have a natural passion for the game.”

Coach Ledbetter also talked about soccer’s growing popularity in the United States, and how countless opportunities continue to open up for people of all ages to join in with the sport.

“Huntsville now has its first ever MLS team, and the growth of soccer in North Alabama has been exponential, especially for girls,” Ledbetter said. “There has never been a better time to play soccer if you are a young lady, to think that Athens now has a team like this speaks volumes to the way this community has embraced this sport.”

CottonTown United came off of a season last year that saw them go 15-3 in travel tournament games, earning a gold state ranking now back-to-back years now. Coach Ledbetter gave all of the credit to the team’s recent triumphs to the girls on the team who never wavered no matter how much was asked of them.

“Their dedication is unmatched, their ability to take what they learned in practice and then apply it in game differentiates them from every other team I’ve coached.” Ledbetter said, “They practice two times per week for the fall and spring seasons, we are talking about really young girls who also have to go to school, do homework, and then travel for tournaments.”

Due to their highly successful level of play, five of the girls from this season’s team were invited to play in the Youth Soccer All-American Series in Birmingham and Panama City. The five young ladies were Ella Baugher, Emery Bregard, Samantha Figueroa, Camryn Maxson, and Shalom Sanchez.

Maxson will also be traveling with an older group of CottonTown United players to participate in the Dana Cup in Hjorring, Denmark from July 24-29.