SOCA announced today the winner of the 2015 Quest-Ntanga Musie Grant.  The annual grant has been awarded to Kathleen McPhillips of the U-14 Girls Elite team.  Sincere congratulations are offered by the club to Kathleen for her achievement.

Several grant applications were received from members of both the boys and girls U-14 Elite teams, both of which are traveling to Europe this summer.  The applications were each thoughtful and uniquely remarkable.  The evaluation committee members were pleased with the consistently high quality of the essays, offering praise to each of the applicants for their quality work.

The merit award grant is provided annually by Quest Sports Travel in honor of Ntanga Musie, a SOCA player who passed away on the soccer field in 2009.  Ntanga was a beloved member of the SOCA family and the grant is awarded in his honor to a player each year who demonstrates his qualities of scholar, athlete, teammate and ambassador.

Each summer SOCA sends its U-14 Elite teams to Europe where they play friendly and tournament matches, while experiencing another culture.  The grant is applied to reduce the cost of the trip to Italy. Quest Sports Travel is SOCA’s tour provider, and is a key partner in enhancing the travel program experience.   SOCA is grateful for Quest’s generous support.

Executive Director, Bill Mueller, commented, “SOCA wishes to sincerely thank all applicants for their earnest efforts.  The quality of the submissions indicates the outstanding nature of the players and families participating in our club.  We are truly proud of our young players, and grateful for their participation in the grant application process.  Congratulations to Kathleen, as her application was found to be finest among all the outstanding efforts.”

SOCA extends best wishes to all the players traveling to Italy and San Marino this summer for a memorable experience.