ACC Massage Therapy Program Director Kicks It With Soccer World Champions

ACC Massage Therapy Program Director Kara Mirarchi poses with 2015 FIFA world champion Carli Lloyd.

For ACC Massage Therapy Program Director Kara Mirarchi, there’s always time for a teaching moment.

This July 4 weekend, Mirarchi went to Vancouver and watched the U.S. Women's National Team play in the 2015 FIFA World Cup finals. It had been 16 years since the U.S. women had been world champions and Mirarchi — a medical massage therapist with US Soccer from 2005 to 2012 — said the American squad would not be denied a win this time.

Kara Mirarchi is seen with 2015 FIFA World Cup “(The team) came here for one reason. There was no possible way we were leaving without the Cup, and we completely dominated the Japanese team,” she said of the 5-2 victory over the defending champs. “It’s a dream come true for the nation and for that team. It’s the culmination of everything they’ve done, all the sacrifice and hard work.”

And that’s where the teaching moment comes in. Mirarchi — who had been on the sidelines for crushing World Cup losses in the 2007 semi-finals to China and the 2011 finals to Japan — sent her massage therapy students in Long Beach texts and photos from the game and post-game celebrations via the “Remind” app and encouraged them to never give up their goals despite any setbacks.

“I wanted them to know to not lose sight of their dreams and to believe in themselves,” Mirarchi said. “Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”

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