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Kristine Lilly
Athens Summer Olympics Gold Medalist and U.S. soccer legend Kristine Lilly will coach Sarah Murgia's soccer team this Saturday---making it a pretty big day for 7-year-old Sarah, a true soccer fan. The visit by Lilly to Sarah's team in Perkasie, PA, is the result of a contest we held last fall for soccer enthusiasts to meet and play with one of the sport’s premier female players. Lilly has partnered with Stonyfield for the past few years.
Sarah's mom taped all of Lilly's Olympic games broadcast from Athens last month, giving Sarah the chance to cheer on her idol.
A first grader at St. Jude Catholic School in Perkasie, Sarah knew before the Olympics she would be meeting Lilly, so the Summer Games took on a special meaning. “We watched as many matches as possible,” says Tanya Murgia, Sarah’s mother. “We taped them late at night, and watched them the next day. And since we knew we had won the contest, we kept looking for Kristine.”
Sarah’s dad, Charley, is the athletic director at nearby Methacton High School and coach of Sarah’s team. He will assist Lilly as she takes over the squad for a Saturday afternoon match. Sure to be on the sidelines will be Mom and younger sisters Rebecca, 4 ½, and Gianna, 2.
Sarah, who’s played soccer since she was 3, plays for a team of 6- to 7-year-olds. She likes soccer “because of all the running and all the kicking,” she explains. She also plays softball, swims and does gymnastics.
Asked what she’ll say to her hero when she finally meets her, Sarah pauses, and offers, “I’ll probably say, ‘Hi.’”
