ELK GROVE, Calif. — The team that sings together also wins together. That's if you're talking about the IR Academy 2012 pre-NPL soccer team out of Elk Grove. The team is taking care of business on the pitch, and they're providing their own soundtrack along the way.
They march to the beat of their own drum and have a bond that cannot be broken.
"These are my best friends," said Dasha Shelton, a 12-year-old player on the team. "Not even school can do different. These are the realest friends I ever had."
"We have a lot of friendships after soccer practice, and we always play futsal and indoor, and that makes our bond very strong," said 12-year-old player Hayden Nolten-Horne.
That tight bond has allowed the team to flourish on the field, and they are fresh off winning the premier division of the California State Cup.
"I was really glad," said Madalynn Kenner, a 12-year-old player on team. "We've been playing for so long and to finally get there, it just proved our hard work was worth it. It was relieving that we got to go and win."
"It's really exciting," added head coach Danesha Adams. "It shows their hard work. They dedicated a lot this last fall to get to that point. For them to be able to work that hard and get that achievement at the end, it's the cherry on top for this group, and I'm excited for them and their development as they continue to grow."
The girls have a theme song they recently adopted: "Love" by R&B star Keyshia Cole.
"We decided to play warm up music to get us in the groove, and that song came on and we all screamed it," said Kenner.
When Keyshia Cole caught wind that the girls were singing her song, she decided to share it on her Instagram page.
"For her (Keyshia) to be able to repost it, the kids were so excited about it," said Adams.
Aside from singing, the girls still have bigger plans ahead on the soccer field.
"Our goal is to create a stronger bond, to get to bigger places and continue winning to go upward from here," said Kenner.
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