"I'm definitely going to keep trying," said Scheidler, Chatard's record holder in career goals (53) and assists (26). "This year is when it hit home that it's possible (to make the national team) if I keep trying and keep my mind set on my goals. I don't know if I'll make it or not, but it's something that'll be pushing me."

Scheidler attended Indiana's district training camp last year and was selected to the state's all-star team that went to regional competition in DeKalb, Ill., against 13 other teams from the Midwest in July. Based on that competition, Scheidler was one of 18 players selected to represent the region at the event in Boca Raton.

The Region II team played three games at the event -- going 0-2-1, but the tie was against the U16 national team -- and provided exposure to college coaches at the competition. Scheidler will hear later this month if she was selected for a team that will compete in Costa Rica in March and plans to go through the tryout process for the regional team next season.

"I have always done (the state camp) to get extra training," said Scheidler, who moved to Carmel when she was 7 and now lives in Washington Township in Indianapolis. "Of course, I wanted to make the (region all-star) team, (but) I never really thought it would happen. Now I can see how far I can go."

She was concerned that it would be awkward playing with girls she had just met but discovered that their high level of competitiveness let the team mesh quickly. "By the second day, it was like I'd been their teammate forever," Scheidler said. There were practices on off days, but the team also got to enjoy a day at the beach and get to know each other better.

Scheidler arrived in Florida on Saturday, Nov. 19, and played in games the following Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She has always been a forward -- scoring 24 goals for Bishop Chatard last season -- but the regional team needed defenders, so Scheidler effectively made the transition to right fullback for the three games.

"The first game I was running back and forth (so much) I didn't think I was going to make it through the first half because the game was so fast," she said. "I knew it was going to be good soccer, but it blew me away how fast the play was. It was such a higher level than anything I've seen. It was neat to see if you could keep up with those players and humbling to see that there were really awesome players out there."

The experience taught Scheidler she needed to maintain a high level of cardiovascular conditioning year-round and be more aggressive because the speed of the game increases with the level of competition. For college, she plans to target a program that will let her continue to improve in pursuit of the U20 national team.

"When teams see Chatard on the schedule, the first thing they talk about is how to stop Julie Scheidler," said Chatard coach Ben Beasley, who also praised his star's team-first attitude. "(And) from what I've been told by other coaches, she's benefiting from playing at that high level of competition and has definitely taken her game to the next level."

Scheidler's father, Bill, added: "We were down there watching the games, and I thought when we picked her up that she'd say, 'I can't wait to get home.' But she said, 'Playing soccer at that level of competition was so awesome.' She loved it. I've never seen her so fired up."