Yogi Berra once said about baseball that half the game is 90 percent mental.

Five local high school girls have proven his spin on words to be true for the game of soccer too while competing this season for the Lady Sonics of the Lehigh Valley United team in the Women's Premier Soccer League.Ranging from 14 to 16 years of age, Lehighton's Lauren House, Katie Higgins and Allison Andrew, along with Northwestern's Angela Motolese and Sabrina Mertz have not been intimidated by opponents who are women in their mid-to-late twenties."To be honest," says Sonic coach Adam Hayne, "even after they tried out and made the team, I was skeptical about their success at this level of soccer. We carry a roster of 26 players with a core of 18, which makes it a challenge to crack our game lineup. But I was pleasantly wrong about these five. Each of them brings a fantastic mindset along with an incredible talent to the game."This is the inaugural season for the Sonics, who play their home games at Whiehall High School in the Tri-State division of the league that includes teams from Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. The WPSL was formed in 1998 and is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association. Many of its players from 54 teams across the nation are highly-skilled collegiate and post-college women who starred for top rated programs at schools like Notre Dame, Stanford, Penn State, and Harvard.So for these five girls, it is subscribing to that belief of mind over matter.At first, though, all three Lehighton players doubted they would be chosen after their tryouts for the Sonics."I didn't think I would make the Sonics lineup," says Lauren House, a soon to be sophomore at Lehighton High School. "I did make the practice team, but I was shocked when I got called up to play. Then in a game against the New York Athletic Club, I slide tackled an opponent but I didn't get a flag because I hit the ball away. When I got up I got possession and passed it up the sideline. I realized at that moment I could play at this level.""Lauren has the speed and agility to compete against the more experienced players and her decision-making with the ball is getting better every game," says Hayne."I made the practice team too," says Lehighton junior Allison Andrew, "but I worked that much harder so I could play for the Sonics. And when I did get the chance, I soon learned that the college women are much faster and stronger than high school players."In a recent game against the New Jersey Blaze, Andrew proved to herself that she belongs on the same field with the more experienced players."There was a throw-in and the Blaze player took too much time so I got in position and stole the ball and quickly passed it to my teammate who scored a goal for us."Hayne adds his observations."Though Allison is on the smaller side, she has great technical ability," he said. "For what she may lack in power, her quick footwork and passing skill is outstanding."For Lehighton's Katie Higgins, the athletic resume is already extraordinary for this 14 year-old freshman. Before playing for the Sonics, she participated in the United States National Soccer Camp in California last summer and this year she was a member of the Olympic Development Program in Arizona. Then Higgins was one of 48 girls invited to Portland, Oregon to become part of a program that rigorously trains young players to prepare for competition at the Olympic level."My experience playing for the Sonics has been both exciting and challenging," says Higgins. "The college players are so much more experienced, but in my second game against the Long Island Fury I came in as a sub and with the confidence I have in my abilities, I moved the ball well and made quick and accurate passes."Higgins also does weight training after school to gain overall strength. She will play club soccer this fall while being a member of the volleyball team at LAHS. She is focused on the pinnacle of soccer achievement."I would love to play in the World Cup and for our Olympic team someday.""Katie can play all day, everyday," says Hayne. "She's big for her age and she plays physical. She's got pace, power and in spite of being so young, she's very level headed."When asked if he thought Katie would return to the Sonics next year, Hayne says he will keep his fingers crossed that she will come back."I believe Katie is good enough now to make our elite international U15 team. She has the right attitude and the more she plays the better her footwork will be. And like all of these girls, Katie is simply a joy to coach."For Northwestern juniors, Angela Motolese and Sabrina Mertz, early success while playing for the Sonics was surprising to both of them. Motolese, a three year starter for Northwestern, scored the Sonics first-ever goal against the BuxMont Torch."Our player took a shot and the goalie punched it out to a defender," she says. "Then the defender tried to clear the ball, but it just came to me and I kicked it over the leaping goalie."Mertz scored a goal in a 3-1 Sonics win over the Blaze, but hers came while playing a defender's position."Coach tells me that if I see an opening I can make a run up. So I did and I got off a good kick into the back of the net.""When it comes to stamina, Angela is our energizer bunny," says Hayne. "She has wonderful technical talent and she has the ability to keep possession of the ball before making her decisions to pass to an open player. She also sees the whole field. All of this plus a fantastic attitude allows her to compete against players of any age.""I tell Sabrina to play physical and to use her quickness. She's a leader too, always encouraging her teammates to keep their focus.""Another great thing about playing for the Sonics is that the older players make the younger ones feel so welcomed to the team," says Mertz, a two- year starter for the Tigers. "That is important because it took us some time to settle in. Now we know we want to be here."At a glance, there may be nothing unique or special about these five teens just because they play soccer with and against women who are nearly twice their age.To describe their enormous potential, however, it might best be said again with words from Yogi Berra."You can observe a lot just by watching."With visions of World Cups, the Olympics and D1 scholarships in their eyes, Lauren House, Allison Andrew, Katie Higgins, Angela Motolese, and Sabrina Mertz have already shown to their coach and to their team that they have both the mental and physical attributes to attain these goals.