Casey Rutter and KellyAnne Brophy will be heading to Italy next summer and they will be bringing their soccer gear with them.

The two Newtown Middle School eighth-graders have been selected to represent Soccer Extreme and their team, Extreme Force, at the San Marino Cup in June of 2007. The Cup is a yearly soccer tournament that draws international competition.

The 12-day tour will take the girls and the Force through many of Italy’s finest cities – such as Milan, Pisa, Florence and San Marino. The Force will be competing in several matches during the visit, including the San Marino Cup, which draws teams from several continents.

The girls have been involved in soccer since the age of seven and their love for the game has grown into a passion to play at the highest level of competition within New England.  Both have been playing for the Newtown Roadrunners for years, but tried out for Soccer Extreme last June and made the squad.

Rutter plays goalie for the Force while Brophy is a midfielder/defender.

As part of their commitment to the U14 Soccer Extreme premiere team, the girls are required to attain and maintain academic excellence. Their weekly schedule includes three days of training, competitive matches and take-home assignments which encourages the girls to budget their time between completing schoolwork, studying, soccer and, most importantly, being eighth grade girls.