By Dave Utnik for News & Messenger/InsideNova.com (photo by John Boal)

Crissy Parker and Breiana White have played soccer together for so long now that neither one wants this summer to go by too quickly.

In the fall, for the first time in their all-star careers, the former Hylton High School teammates will become rivals with Parker making her college debut at George Mason and White headed to Virginia Commonwealth.

"It’s going to be hard," White said. "We’ve been teammates ever since my freshman year. My ninth grade year I looked up to her a lot and she took me under her wing. I’ve learned a lot from her."

That makes this summer with the Northern Virginia Majestics Super 20 team sort of special.

The familiar career path they’ve traveled together for more than four years will take them in different directions—at least temporarily—so Parker and White are determined to make the next month a memorable one.

The Majestics are a first-place team and there is already talk about qualifying for the national championships in Chicago.

In Parker’s opinion, there’s not much that could top that, except possibly the weekend road trip that she and White are about to take with the Majestics’ W-League squad.

"I’ve always played up in an older age group. I played on the U20 team when I was 17, so I’m pretty used to playing up and I’m really excited to play with these new girls," Parker said. "I’m just happy to get the opportunity. I’m honored that they picked me."

Parker was already an established high school prodigy—on her way to becoming one of Hylton’s scoring leaders with 45 career goals in three varsity seasons—when White arrived on the scene in 2005.

They bonded almost instantly and have been side-by-side virtually ever since as friends and members of the Majestics travel program.

This weekend’s trip to Charlotte and Atlanta is merit-based and came at the invitation of W-League coach Jac Cicala. It is also a measure of how far Parker has come since April 10, 2008, when she suffered a broken leg just a couple of weeks into her senior season.

"It was really hard to get back in shape and I’m not completely there," she said.

But Parker is close enough that she is a candidate for a starting position on George Mason’s attack line in her first collegiate season.

"Going into Mason coming off the broken leg was really hard. I had to work harder than anyone else there," said Parker, who just completed her freshman year at George Mason after attending Northern Virginia Community College for one semester.

"They didn’t give me any special treatment. I had to make the times for running just like everyone else did, and if I didn’t make it then I ran more," she said. "I knew I had to get faster and get in shape so I’ve worked on my own just trying to keep it up."

This weekend will provide Parker with a potential opportunity to play alongside George Mason junior Kimmy Moss, who starts for the Majestics U23 squad.

"It’s been especially tough for Crissy after she broke her leg. I’m just really glad she got this opportunity," White said. "It’s really inspired me how she’s persevered. Nothing has changed in her style of play so it’s cool that we’re both getting the same opportunity."

White’s style is also based on putting the ball in the net. She had 37 goals and 20 assists during an all-state career with the Bulldogs and is a product of the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program—having attended three national camps as well as a training session in Germany.

On Friday, when the Majestics take on the Carolina Eagles in Charlotte she will take another step toward her ultimate goal.

"I’ve always wanted an opportunity like this to see what it’s like in the W-League," White said. "It’s made me want to push even harder because I have dreams of playing for the national team some day."