For five years, Pacific FC GU16 Hurricanes coach Curtis Pittman believed his team was capable of something special.
This summer, that belief became reality on the biggest stage.
The Pacific FC girls under-16 squad, featuring players from area high schools, including Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Woodland, Hockinson, Prairie and others, captured the National Premier League championship in Denver after winning the Washington Premier League title to earn its berth.
"For five years, I have believed this team could become great. Not simply because of their raw, natural talent as athletes, but because of who they were becoming as people," Pittman wrote in a Facebook post reflecting on the championship.
Rather than focusing on wins, Pittman and assistant coach Alli Nortz emphasized creating an environment where players trusted one another and understood their value within the team.
"From the beginning, Alli and I believed that if we could build an extraordinary team culture, the girls would learn to recognize and trust the inherent abilities in one another," Pittman wrote. "We were never interested in chasing trophies at the expense of development. We believed the wins would come if we remained committed to the plan."
During a phone interview with The Reflector, Pittman said that culture ultimately separated the Hurricanes from the rest of the field.
"I just think it's really important to kind of highlight the importance of having a strong team culture," Pittman said. "It's one thing to have good players. It's just another thing to have an unbelievably strong group of girls that sort of care deeply for one another, where there's no cliques. It's just a big part of why we won the tournament."
That culture developed through years of up-and-down moments. Pittman wrote that the Hurricanes endured losing seasons and were once ranked outside the state's top 50 teams before gradually becoming one of Washington's elite clubs.
"This pursuit required an extraordinary amount of resilience," Pittman wrote. "For six months of every year, we practiced and played through the cold, rain and darkness of the Pacific Northwest. For the past three years, the girls trained three days a week. There were long nights, difficult conversations, frustration, losses and plenty of tears."
Pittman said the roster evolved over five years as players from higher-level academy clubs sought a different experience.
"I typically will get girls from these academy clubs that are just burnt out, aren't enjoying soccer as much, but super talented," Pittman said. "They'll come to our team and sort of find their passion and love for the game again."
After dominating the Washington Premier League, the Hurricanes advanced to the National Premier League Finals in Colorado, where they completed their championship run.
"When the final whistle blew in Denver and the Pacific FC Hurricanes became National Premier League champions, I felt complete elation," Pittman wrote. "Throughout the day, I found myself crying privately as I began to understand what had happened."
Pittman said the championship is significant not only for Pacific FC, but for girls soccer throughout Southwest Washington.
"I think it actually speaks volumes to the quality of the players that we were able to acquire for this team over the years and the quality of the talent that exists in the Northwest, but then to kind of put us on the map nationally is a huge deal," he said.
He hopes the accomplishment inspires more people to support girls soccer in the region.
"The fact of the matter is, I don't think they really get the attention they deserve," Pittman said. "My advice would be to go catch one of these games. ... I just want to bring awareness to it more than anything else."
