When free time allows Kelly Ann Prior (above right), a Master Sargent with United States Air Force currently stationed in Afghanistanband a former soccer standout at Joppatowne High School, can still dribble with the best of them. Her heart, however, is in Baltimore where her daughter is a freshman at Mercy High School.
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By Mike Buchanan
Content Editor, Baltimore Metro
 
Red, White and Blue.

Fitting colors for any day ... but especially this day.

It being Sept. 11th, I was in a Red, White and Blue mood – even wore my DigitalSports blue polo to the game. Pulling into the Mercy High School parking lot, you could see the soccer field adorned with Red, White and Blue balloons, behind both benches.

And as if that wasn't enough, I noticed that visiting Pallotti was decked out in its crisp dark blue uniforms, while host Mercy was clad in its gleaming home red and white – perfect color coordination.  It was as if both parties coordinated colors for prom night, wanting to match, dressed to the nines – and they did.

It was a perfect setting on a perfect afternoon for a big Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland, A Conference soccer match, the opening league game for both teams.

Only it was more than just a soccer match for Alexis Prior-Brown. Alexis, just 13, is a freshman on the Mercy varsity soccer team. On this day, she was hustling and giving her all, as she does in every other game. Despite being just a freshman, she is an aggressive, hard-nosed player.

But on this day – on 9/11 – she was playing with more of a drive, more of a purpose. You see, Alexis' mom, Kelly Prior-Brown, is currently stationed in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

There is no place that Kelly would rather be than standing on the sidelines, watching her daughter play soccer in her freshman season.  But she can't; she is making the sacrifice, for her daughter and for the rest of us, by serving her country abroad.

Red, White and Blue.

Alexis would very much love to have her mother standing on the sidelines, too. They are not just mother and daughter, but best friends, too. And they both share a passion for the sport of soccer. Kelly began playing soccer when she was 8, Alexis when she was 7. So today – especially today – Alexis is playing for two, putting her game on the field, but also playing one "for Mom."

Kelly played soccer in high school as well. She was a stand-out at Joppatowne back in 1991, when her team made it to the state championship game. She still plays today, although the rock-strewn field she plays on is not quite as nice as the manicured green Mercy field. In fact, there is no grass at all on Kelly's current "home field."  Still, it's soccer, and it's fun, so she plays.

As for the chance to live vicariously through her daughter, it won't happen this season – at least not in person. Kelly left for her tour in Afghanistan several months ago and will not return until February. But with the help of modern technology – video cameras, cell phones and websites such as ours at DigitalSports, Kelly is able to stay up-to-date on her daughter's first high school season.

And even though Kelly is not there to watch in person, she knows the family support is there for Alexis. Kelly's parents, Earl and Kathy, were at the game, proudly watching their granddaughter. Alexis' father, Dan Brown, was there for support and encouragement as well. And Kelly’s significant other, Lonnie Edmonds, was also there, capturing the game on video so that Kelly could still watch her daughter in action.

Half-way across the globe from her mother, in the opening half of play, Alexis entered the game. Just two minutes later, she let loose with a booming shot from 40 yards out. It caromed off the crossbar; two inches lower and Alexis would have scored the game's first goal. A smile crossed her face, briefly. She knew it was a good shot; it would be the closest non-goal of the day by either team. But this wasn't a Hollywood script, so it went in the books as only a shot-on-goal.

Despite a small, slender frame, Alexis has a very powerful shot.

"She was always serious about soccer," said her father, Dan, after the game. "She showed that when she played with the Baltimore Bays. She and her team were really excited about this game; she said Pallotti was such a good team. I told her to dream it tonight and live it tomorrow."

And live it is exactly what Alexis and her teammates did.

Mercy and Pallotti went into half time in a scoreless tie.

Despite coming close in the first half and not scoring, Mercy and Alexis got another chance five minutes into the second half. She got a half-step advantage on a defender and was able to slip a pass to teammate Melinda Kane, who found the back of the net for a 1-0 Mercy lead.

That would prove to be the game's only goal. Mercy controlled the tempo throughout the match. Corners were even at 4-4, but Mercy had at least a 10-plus advantage in shots, despite coming up with just the one goal. But one was all the Magic needed.  Mercy's defense made it count. Rachel Bourne played the first half in goal and had four saves, while Maggie McClearly played the second half and added eight more saves. The defenders and midfielders tried to push the ball to the offensive end, and succeeded in doing so more often than not. The Panthers were left empty on the scoreboard, as Mercy took the much-deserved, 1-0 win.

When asked about the big win and getting the game-winning assist, Alexis said, "We were just trying to win. My mom said everyone was rooting for us over there. It's kind of hard starting varsity without her, but I talk to her every couple days and she gets me through it."

After beginning the season with a 3-1 loss to No. 4 Fallston last Friday, Mercy (2-1, 1-0) has quietly notched back-to-back wins against ranked opponents. On Monday, the Magic beat No. 16 Loch Raven, 1-0, before adding on Thursday’s 1-0 victory over No. 5 Pallotti, the defending A Conference champion. Those two wins will surely boost Mercy into next week’s Metro Top 20 Poll.

Pallotti (2-1, 0-1) lost its first game after wins over Severn and Reservoir. The Panthers host IND on Tuesday and visit No. 1 McDonogh on Thursday.

"Today's game definitely had a special meaning for all of us," said Mercy Coach Albert Oni. "When you join our team, you are a part of a big family; we are together four months, five to six days a week. We are trying to create a family atmosphere here so that Alexis' mom knows she is in good hands here at Mercy."

Alexis and her teammates face another tough week, visiting No. 7 C. Milton Wright on Monday and then No. 6 Archbishop Spalding on Tuesday before hosting Mount de Sales on Thursday. That stretch of three games in four days will give Oni and his team a good idea of where they stand. They will have faced five ranked teams (current No. 4, 5, 6 ,7 and 16) in a span of two weeks.
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Last Friday I covered Mercys home match versus Fallston. Several pictures of Alexis in my story were e-mailed to Kelly overseas, and she was so delighted that she sent this e-mail to our office:

"I'm sending a huge THANK YOU to you and your staff for giving me the opportunity to see pictures of my daughter and her soccer team at Mercy while I'm deployed to Afghanistan. I unfortunately will miss her first season as a freshman varsity player and I cannot describe in words the sense of pride and excitement of seeing pictures of her on your website. Thanks for giving me a way of feeling a little closer to her while I'm a world away!"

Doing a follow-up, more in-depth piece – and doing so on 9/11 – seemed like a fitting thing to do. My way, our way, of saying THANK YOU back to Kelly, for what she and her fellow troops do.

On 9/11, for many of us, the word "pride comes to the forefront.  Kelly, you would have been so proud of your daughter and her team yesterday.

Red, White and Blue ... and Mercy, too.

Email: mbuchanan@digitalsports.com