EDINBORO — Talk about going out in glory.

The Butler County Soccer Association's U19 girls travel team did so recently, winning the PA West Open Tournament's U20 Bronze division championship.

“This was the last travel tournament for seven seniors on that team,” coach Mark McClymonds said. “It's a great way for them to go out.

“They've been playing soccer together for years.”

The seven seniors on the team are Gabby Lloyd, Rose Burger, Maddy Fry, Shelley Sarver, Megan McClymonds, Carolyn Kelly and Samantha Barr.

The BCSA team won four games and tied one during the tournament, never taking a loss. The squad tied Brookline 1-1 in its first game, then defeated Norwin 6-3 and the PASC Eagles 5-0 to qualify for the semifinals.

Butler won the semifinal and final rounds by 2-0 scores, defeating Norwin and Freeport. Becca Grooms was the goalkeeper.

“She had a fantastic tournament,” Coach McClymonds said. “She had three shutouts and made some big saves.”

One of the seniors — Lloyd — is normally a goalkeeper in her own right. She played on the pitch so Grooms could play between the posts.

“That's her (Grooms) position,” Lloyd said. “Yeah, it's mine, too, but I've played in the field before and it was best for the team.”

Lloyd wound up scoring three goals in the tournament.

“Our scoring was pretty balanced that entire weekend,” Coach McClymonds said.

Some of the seniors on the team have been playing summer soccer together for 10 years.

“The bond we've developed over the years has made a difference,” Lloyd said. “We've been playing together for so long that we've become a stronger team.

“We've had the same coaching staff all these years, too. Those guys have been so supportive and understanding of us for years.”

Ron Zulick and Al Kelly have been assistant coaches for McClymonds through the years.

Lloyd, a striker for the Butler High School girls soccer team, is headed to Washington & Jefferson to continue her academic and soccer career. The other seniors on the U19 team do not have collegiate soccer plans.

“We all play on this summer team for fun,” said Megan McClymonds, another member of the Butler High School team. “The atmosphere on our team is really laid-back.

“We get into the games and sure, we want to win, but we're not super competitive. We play happy and relaxed.”

The seniors on this U19 team also won the PA West Open in the U16 division three years ago.

“Once we got to the semifinal round, it was like ... Hey, we actually have a shot at this,” Megan said. “Once we won it, knowing this was our last travel tournament together, we were super, super excited.”

Kelly didn't play soccer in high school because her school — Moniteau — does not offer the sport. She played volleyball and competed in track and field for the Warriors.

She played BCSA soccer for the past 10 years.

“We're lax at times, everybody doesn't always show up for practice, wejoke around quite a bit, but we love to play soccer,” Kelly said. “I'm grateful to be able to play the sport in the summer.

“We all took a lighter attitude toward soccer and that made us better. Our group has gotten pretty tight. We're like family now and this was a fantastic way to go out.”