University of North Carolina midfielder Evelyn Shores isn’t taking a break this summer.

Six months after helping the Tar Heels capture their 23rd NCAA title,  she scored the winning goal last month for the U.S. women’s national team against Germany at under-23 level. And on Monday, she found the back of the net again, winning $1million for the US Women at The Soccer Tournament (TST) staged just miles from her university. 

Recruited by former USWNT midfielder Heather O’Reilly, 20 years her senior, Shores joined a team of American legends, including O’Reilly, Carli Lloyd and Ali Krieger, for the seven-a-side, winner-takes-all competition. 

“I was sprinting back to recover on defense, saw Heather (O’Reilly) win the ball, and just went. I was exhausted, but I had to go,” Shores tells The Athletic. “She put it on a platter for me. I had to finish it.”

Though still jetlagged from her trip across the Atlantic Ocean with the under-23s, Shores went straight into training alongside players she’d watched win World Cups and Olympic gold medals. 

“Playing one-v-one in practice with Carli Lloyd the day after flying in from Germany? That was insane,” she says. “They made us feel like equals. That was the craziest part.”

She was one of the five North Carolina (UNC) players O’Reilly invited to join her and the other World Cup winners at TST, which takes place over a week in Cary, North Carolina. 

“I have always liked Evelyn as a player, from the first minute I saw her play at Carolina,” O’Reilly tells The Athletic. “I’m thrilled that she had that goal, because she had a very good tournament and does a lot of nuanced work for the team that maybe isn’t flashy, but she had her moment, and we are all so happy about that.”

For Shores, TST was a refreshing change of pace.

“It’s such a fun tournament,” she says. “The ball moves fast, everyone’s pressing, you sub out the second you’re tired, and fans are basically on top of the field. It’s a different kind of soccer — and maybe more exciting for people who aren’t into the traditional 11 v 11 (format).”

Evelyn Shores was one of five UNC players to join USWNT legends at TST. (The Soccer Tournament)

The 20-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, began her soccer journey at age four at Tophat FC, an elite youth academy in her home state. For Shores, soccer is a family tradition. Her mother, a former North Carolina player, was her first coach. Her grandpa had coached her mom. 

“I wrote a letter to myself in fifth grade saying I hoped I’d get a scholarship to UNC. I committed in eighth grade (a child’s aged 13 or 14 year),” Shores said. “I always knew I wanted to come here.”

That commitment has paid off. In her rookie year, she appeared in 13 matches, finishing that season ranked third on the team with four goals, three assists and 11 points, to lead all UNC freshmen. She scored her first college brace in a three-minute stretch against the University of South Carolina, which included her first goal. 

But in the October, her promising first season came to a halt. While attempting a tackle near the sideline against Wake Forest, she got tangled up with an opposition player and collapsed, clutching her right knee, unable to stand without help. Five days later, Shores announced she’d torn her ACL and that her season was over. 

Amid the heartbreak, she had support from her family and friends throughout the recovery process and she counted the days to her comeback. After two surgeries and a difficult rehabilitation period, Shores returned in 2024 to play in the final 10 games of the season, with her first appearance back coming against No. 1-ranked Duke in the regular-season finale. 

“My first goal back from my injury was very special,” she tells The Athletic.

She scored against Duke, UNC’s biggest rival, with her left foot in the 44th minute. 

“After such a long time off the field, coming back and scoring was like a huge deal to me,” she says. 

Just over a month later, Shores played 44 minutes as UNC beat Wake Forest 1-0 to win the NCAA title.

After recovering from an ACL tear, Evelyn Shores helped UNC to an NCAA title (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)

Announcing herself with a goal is a habit now.

When Shores was named to the USWNT Under-23 camp last month, she was the only player there not signed to a professional contract. But that didn’t matter on the field. In the final minute of stoppage time on May 30 in the German town of Aspach, after a scramble in the box, Seattle Reign center back Jordyn Bugg lifted a ball over Germany’s defense. Shores got on the end of the looping pass and one-timed the ball into the net. 

“It was a surreal experience,” Shores tells The Athletic. “Honestly, I couldn’t even really celebrate after the goal, because I was just so relieved.”

The U.S. split results during the window, losing 2-1 to the Germans a couple of days later, and Shores flew directly back to North Carolina to represent the U.S. in a different capacity. She, again, introduced herself with a game-winning goal.

For now, Shores is focused on a healthy return, another trip to the NCAA College Cup, and if the stars align, TST again next year. 

As for the $1million she helped win, for not just herself but the players she’s looked up to? Unfortunately for Shores, NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from accepting prize money. “I’m not actually sure where my portion goes,” she says with a shrug. “But I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

A spokesperson for TST confirmed that the money that could not be awarded to the college players was divided evenly among the rest of the group.

While her TST goal may be the most high-profile moment yet, it’s likely just the beginning for the rising college junior. She’s still undecided about whether she’ll pursue a professional career in the U.S. or abroad, but one thing’s clear: she’s got options.

“I’ve always wanted to be a pro. That’s been the dream since I was little,” she said.

“This will be my first healthy preseason in a while,” Shores said, speaking about her immediate future. “Just being back on the field, competing, playing with teammates I love, it’s all been surreal.”

(Top photo: The Soccer Tournament) 

Palm Coast government wants to align city policy with a new state law requiring more detailed criminal backgrounding of youth athletic coaches and others who supervise children in organized sports even when they do not work for the city. 

The backgrounding could result in disqualification from coaching in some cases, but council members want to more precisely define those thresholds so that, say, a drug offense from 10 years ago isn’t a life sentence away from coaching. The city attorney is cautioning council members to be consistent, whichever policy they adopt. 

“It’s going to be a tightrope for sure to find that spot where we’re keeping our kids safe but also not doing a disservice to them by removing people that would be good mentors,” Council member Ty Miller said. 

Last spring the legislature passed a bill requiring state and national criminal background checks–called Level 2 screenings–for youth athletic coaches and their assistants starting no later than July 2026. The requirement applies to private organizations such as little league baseball, soccer or flag football, all of which operate in Palm Coast. The governor signed the bill into law. 

An important caveat to the law: “a person who has not been background screened may act as an athletic coach if he or she is under the direct supervision of an athletic coach who meets the screening requirements,” according to a legislative analysis of the bill. 

Employees and volunteers working for Palm Coast already receive a Level 2 screening through the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, which also provides that $60 to $105 service to anyone else who requests it. (The fingerprinting the city was requiring of its employees and volunteers had cost $36 until recently, which the city paid.) 

Typically, athletic coaches received Level 1 background checks, which don;t include national backgrounding. Vendor at city events who directly interacts with children are also required to be backgrounded. Now, all those individuals will have to have Level 2 checks. The requirement is annual. Nothing stops a local government from requiring it sooner than July 2026. 

Since numerous athletic organizations operate in the city, the council had two options: to require each organization to provide an affidavit that certifies compliance with the new law, or for the city to conduct the background checks for each organizations’ coaches and assistant coaches directly. The city in the past has asked certain organizations to provide letters certifying who had been backgrounded. But the approach was informal, and must now be according to law. 

National organizations have generally required screenings “due to insurance purposes,” , Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston said. “They make all volunteers, including coaches, anybody that’s going to have any direct interaction with children, go through that background process. But this previously it was like a Level 1, and now they have upped it to a Level 2.” 

Council member Ty Miller was looking for consistency in expectations and enforcement of the new requirement. A lot of organizations, he said, may focus on crimes against children. There could be individual coaches who may have faced criminal charges unrelated to children who the organization would not disqualify, “which is a concern of mine,” he said. “Same thing with say, drugs. You sold drugs, but you didn’t sell them to a kid, so it’s ok. It doesn’t seem right to me.”

To Miller, the city could define the threshold of disqualification for coaches and others interacting with children, even if they are not volunteering for the city, or employed by it, but running sports organizations within its borders. Violent crime and drugs should be disqualifiers in his view. “In effect, they’re acting on our behalf because of that use of the city facilities and parks,” Miller said. 

He did not specify what kind of drugs or what level charges, but in a text exchange with FlaglerLive today he said he favored a common-sense approach without being too heavy-handed. 

He’s not interested in adding costs to the city to pay for those screenings. But he is interested in having access to an organization’s screening records “and make sure they’re all matching up at any given time, so that we’re keeping them honest,” he said. 

“I don’t want to go overboard here but I also want to make sure that we don’t have bad people under the radar either,” Miller wrote. “Vice mayor also indicated that there may be other things like animal abuse or domestic violence that may not be a felony that need to be considered as well.” 

Local governments generally suspend an employee who is charged with a felony, but not a misdemeanor. First and second-offense drunk driving charges are typically a misdemeanor, as is discharging a weapon in public or battering someone, including a domestic partner. Aggravating factors convert the charges to felonies. (Child abuse or child neglect are automatic felonies, though they often get pleaded down to misdemeanors.) 

“We have to keep in mind that we’re talking about coaches that are mentoring our young people,” Council member Theresa Pontieri said, with children coming from “some troubled backgrounds of their own, and sometimes it takes a mentor who’s been through that to pull the kid out of that. So I don’t want to disqualify people who have a past history of drugs, but it was 10 years ago.” 

Mayor Mike Norris is worried about city overreach, what he calls “getting in the weeds when you shouldn’t be, and I don’t want the city to incur legal ramifications or something like that.” He’d support requiring affidavits from local organizations, but nothing beyond that. 

Submitted photo
(From left) Pictured are Commissioner Todd Graybill, Commissioner Alice Gray, Christian Retreat Center Director of Development and Events Wendy Kerstetter, and Commissioner Mark Partner.

MIFFLINTOWN — Local youth will be working with homeowners this month on various home repair and maintenance projects, according to Wendy Kerstetter of the Christian Retreat Center.

The Center, Kerstetter told Juniata County Commissioners Tuesday during the board’s meeting, is working to help meet the needs of the community while giving teens valuable life experience.

Kerstetter told commissioners the Center is seeking both youth and homeowners to participate in the program.

“It’s not only a way to meet practical needs, but also a chance for teens to develop a heart for service and build meaningful connections with the community,” said Kerstetter.

Located at 369 CRC Drive, East Waterford, the Christian Retreat Center is best known for its youth summer camps and year-round retreats. Kerstetters said programs have expanded and they now offer lodge accommodations, RV and tent camping with full hookups, and various recreational opportunities like fishing, hiking and canoeing.

“Most importantly, CRC is a place where relationships are built and strengthened,” said Kerstetter.

As part of the program, in June youth groups are housed and fed at the Center. They can partake in camp activities in the evenings, but during the day they are out in the community tackling various jobs.

This program is not only for the youth but helps the homeowners in the area as well, some may be physically unable to do some of the work or just cant tackle it financially.

This week they have groups working in areas of Honey Grove, Licking Creek, Thompsontown, Mifflintown and Cross Keys, she said.

Commissioners took action on the following agenda items..

Approved a three-year contract covering fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026 with Maximus Consulting Services, Inc. to prepare Juniata County’s annual indirect cost allocation plans. The annual preparation fee is $5,100 for a total contracted cost of $15,300. The agreement shall commence on Aug. 1, 2025 and remain in effect until July 31, 2028;

Approved tax exonerations for Monroe Township;

Approved payment of the Juniata County Hazardous Material check to S & B Automotive Detailing for $250;

Hired Nikolas Aumiller to fill the vacant caseworker position, effective June 30. Aumiller replaces Ashley Campbell, who resigned Oct. 31, 2024. Aumiller’s starting wages will be $20.18 per hour;

Hired Angelica Ybarra to fill the vacant caseworker position, effective June 30. Ybarra will be replacing Kelsey Drolsbaugh, who was promoted to caseworker supervisor on June 3. Ybarra’s starting wages will be $20.18 per hour.

VALDOSTA – Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority ‘s Youth Football and Cheerleading program registration deadline nearing.

Release:

Time is running out to register for Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority’s Youth Football & Cheerleading program!

The registration deadline is June 17^th at midnight.  Practices will begin in July and the season runs from August through October, including playoffs.

VLPRA’s school-based program includes flag football, tackle football, and cheerleading. Flag football is available for boys and girls going to kindergarten through 8^th grade. Tackle football is available for rising 2^nd through 5^th graders. Cheerleading is available for rising kindergartners through 5^th graders. Teams are separated by middle school district, so children will play ball with their friends from school and practice close to home. 

Fees include uniform and equipment. It’s only $105 for tackle football, $85 for flag football, and $80 for cheer. VLPRA provides helmets, all pads, and uniforms for all divisions. 

Parents can register their children online at www.vlpra.com or at VLPRA’s main office located at 1901 North Barack Obama Blvd.

DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men’s basketball bolstered its 2025-26 roster with the signing of forward Abdullah Amzil, a 6-foot-7 forward born and raised in Finland of Moroccan descent, head coach Jim Les announced Tuesday.
 
“Abdullah is an extremely versatile player — he can guard all five positions, reads the game like a veteran and always makes the right play,” said Les. “He’s fiercely competitive, hates to lose and plays with an edge. Offensively, he’s a three-level scorer who can beat you in so many ways — and just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he’ll rise up and dunk on you out of nowhere. He’s a true problem on both ends of the floor.”

 

Amzil comes from a decorated basketball family. His brother Mustapha starred at Dayton and New Mexico, earning Mountain West Co-Sixth Man of the Year honors as a senior with the Lobos. His sister Latifa competed at Detroit Mercy, earning three-time Horizon League Academic Honor Roll and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll recognition. Both siblings, like Abdullah, have represented Finland internationally.

 

Amzil brings extensive experience from Europe’s highest youth levels. He has represented Finland’s U16 and U18 National Teams and was recently named Finnish U19 Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season, cementing his status among Europe’s top prospects.

 

While at Drive Academy, Amzil led consecutive Finnish Division B championships and claimed MU19 Tournament MVP honors. His transition to Torpan Pojat Juniors in Finland’s First Division A demonstrated readiness for elite competition, averaging 14.4 points and 6 rebounds per game on 59.2% shooting from the field. During a critical playoff run, he elevated his production even further, averaging 21 points per game during post-season play.

 

Amzil further showcased his ability in the U20 European Youth Basketball League (EYBL). He averaged 16.0 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 59.4% overall and an elite 44% from three-point range, flashing his all-around efficiency.

 

Amzil is the sixth signee of the offseason for UC Davis, strengthening the Aggies’ roster depth and versatility as they build momentum toward the 2025-26 campaign.

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