PROSPECT — Think girls can't play against boys?

Don't tell that to the Prospect Boys and Girls Club's under-14 traveling soccer team. It's doing just fine.

Competing in the PA West boys division, Prospect put together a 6-1-4 record this fall, losing only to Slippery Rock, despite having 10 females on its 18-player roster.

"These kids have been playing together so long, it just doesn't bother them," Prospect coach John Marks said. "They know each other, they trust each other and they play as a team."

No team Prospect played all season had more than three girls on the squad. Most of its opponents had either one girl or none at all.

The majority of Prospect's players have been part of the same traveling team since under-6.

"If we had enough girls in the organization, we'd have two separate teams," said Marks, who also is the president of the Prospect Boys and Girls Club. "We've never been in that situation."

Playing in the PA West under-12 division last year, Prospect finished 8-0-1.

Marks admitted to anticipating a more ordinary season this time around.

"Playing under-14, I figured we'd be a .500 team at best," he said. "We're a young under-14 team, too."

This entire team can play together this spring. Next fall, only Jessica Regrut, the lone 13-year-old on the squad, will be ineligible to stay in the division.

Prospect outscored its opponents 47-24 this season. Victories came against Wilmington, New Brighton, both Seneca Valley teams, Laurel and Brighton Township.

"These kids have played together for so long that they want to stay together," said Lisa Barnhart, mother of 11-year-old Quay Barnhart. "The boys don't care that they're playing on the same team as girls.

"They're all teammates and they're all competitive."

The Prospect Boys and Girls Club also fields teams in baseball, basketball and football. Those squads are coed as well.

"We do offer girls softball as an alternative, but if the girls want to play baseball, they can," Marks said.

Marks' daughter, Jordan, is the team's goalkeeper and has faced 15 to 20 shots per game. Cody Wolinski, Michael Stutz, Barnhart and Jessica Regrut are the primary goal scorers.

Five girls on the team, Marks, Rachel Caldwell, Danielle Wissinger, Casey Dudek and Haley Angerett, play Cup soccer.

"Their soccer skills have definitely improved by playing with and against boys all this time," Marks said.

The coach said the maturation process — learning to trust each other — has built the squad into a cohesive unit.

"When these kids were younger, they were hesitant to pass the ball because they were never sure they were getting it back," Marks said. "Now, they pass the ball repeatedly and nobody's worried about who's scoring."

It all adds up to 14 wins, one loss and five ties over the past two falls of PA West traveling soccer. Slippery Rock hung a 5-0 loss on Prospect this season.

"Those kids were a lot older than ours," Barnhart said.

"Yeah, I believe we're only going to get better," Marks said. "Slippery Rock's high school teams, especially the girls, are going to benefit from this in a few years."

Prospect U-14 roster

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Here are the 18 players — 10 of them girls — comprising the Prospect Boys & Girls Club Under-14 traveling soccer team (age in parantheses):

Boys

Cody Wolinski (12), Cody Prelec (12), Quay Barnhart (11), Scott Laborie (12), Michael Stutz (11), Tim Regrut (12), Kyle Hinchberger (11), Cole McCandless (10)

Girls

Molly Weitzel (12), Rachel Caldwell (11), Casey Dudek (11), Haly Angerett (10), Erica Umstead (11), Jessica Regrut (13), Danielle Wissinger (11), Jordan Marks (11), Kara Lipke (11), Raquel "Rocky" Huff (10)