LYNN — As part of the Aztec Girls 2007 Impact National Premier Leagues team, Cameryn Dunn helped capture a national championship at the NPL Finals in Colorado.
Dunn, who has been playing youth soccer in Lynn for over a decade, also happened to be the only player from Lynn on the team.
“At first, I guess it was kind of awkward a little bit because everyone else was kind of from the same towns. Being the only one, I felt a little bit left out, but after meeting the girls and talking to them, everyone was really nice,” said Dunn.
On the long road to a national championship, Dunn said that the experience was great. However, she stressed that it took a lot of hard work to make championship aspirations a reality.
“It was definitely fun, but it was also a lot of hard work, especially conditioning … overall it was really worth it. Sometimes I felt like I wanted to quit, but I was able to push through,” said Dunn.
The amount of work Dunn and all her teammates put into the season created hope that they would win the championship no matter what.
“We were all kind of expecting it, I guess, because we had put in so much work, and we knew that after all we did, we definitely deserved to win it,” said Dunn.
Although the team may have been expecting the win, it did not make the taste of victory any less sweet.
“When the whistle blew at the end, we all knew it — we were all so happy. We finally got the reward that we were working so hard for. It was rewarding, and it made all of us really proud of each other,” said Dunn.
Dunn will be entering high school in the fall, and continuing her soccer career at St. Mary’s. She said she is excited to do so, as it will reunite her with teammates she grew up playing soccer with.
Knowing most of her upcoming teammates will be in stark contrast with her run to a national title, but to her, it will be fun.
Although the next opportunity to play with the Aztecs and compete for a national championship is still far in the future, Dunn said she would want to play even with all the work she had to put in. “ … Even though it was hard work, I would do it again in a heartbeat,” said Dunn.
