State Championship Tournament

Where to begin?

Game 1 – Bad News for Azul
Let me start by saying that we made it to the State Tournament and we played Azul and by goodness it was Bad News for Azul. But by goodness, for a while it looked like it was going to be bad news for us. Never, ever can that team do anything the easy way. The girls played on Friday night and they came out looking pretty strong. About 6 minutes in, one of the our girls fouls one of theirs. They get a penalty kick and score. The girls faces were… blank, shocked. The other parents cheered and I heard SisterMarySoccer’s Dad yelled out, “It’s okay White, nobody’s hurt.” I felt like I had been punched in the gut.
The girls played for 23 more minutes. They worked hard to get some breaks but couldn’t finish. With 50 seconds to go in the half, LeftyLucy overlaps an outside midfielder and takes a shot from about 25 yards out. Top Shelf! Tie Game going into half.
Half time speech puts some pep in their step. They worked hard and luckily, one of their players side-swiped MyGirl just outside the 18. LeftyLucy takes the penalty shot and again puts it Top Shelf! For the next 13 minutes, the girls played tough.
With one minute left to go in the game, one of our players fouls one of theirs at the half line. They take a shot from there. It bounces off our player and they get a corner kick. The time runs out before they even get to kick the ball, but they get to take the kick anyway. All the girls have to do is clear is the ball. They kick towards a sea of blue and white jerseys. They sea parts and out comes KeeperGirl with a UT Orange keeper jersey on. She catches the ball an holds it. (In general, I’m not a UT fan, but I was never so happy to see that orange jersey come from the crowd!) Game 1 – GAME OVER – WE WIN!!

Game 2 – They Earned It and Then Some!
Saturday’s game was an oddity - for some teams... for our girls, it just how they do it. We were playing a team that used to thump MyGirl’s team continually – when we played 6v6. The girls have always had a mental issue with playing them. It was almost like the girls were beat before even stepping onto the field. Until this past March, the girls won their state league game against them.
Well during this tournament, our girls controlled the first half – took shot after shot after shot. Just high. Just wide. Just wide again. Just high again. Holy cow! Luck was not with the girls. First half ends. Zeros. The second half begins and less than 2 minutes in, AllStarGirl takes a solid hit from just behind the 18. Score! Less than a minute later, they score. UGGH! Tie Game.
The game goes on and on and on. They score again. Then, SisterMarySoccer gets a cross from the left side and scores. Tie Game Again!! BlueEyedBlondeHairedLefty follows in her shot and fought her way to another goal. StrikerGirl scored too - even though they called it back.
It was a rough game. The other team only had one sub, so they were tired and that usually makes the game rougher. With about seven minutes left to play, MyGirl barreled down “TheGiant” from the other team. (It was legal. Pinky swear.) With about three minutes left, Coach #3 puts MyGirl in defense (!!!), she overlaps to take the ball to flags and TheGiant takes her out. (Not legal. Giant has a yellow card to prove it!) So the game ends with a win. 3-2. But that score does not at all reflect how well the girls played in the first half.

Game 3 – Championship Game of the Championship Tournament
Well, it was a bit reminiscent of the early days. The girls’ opponents were good. They are good. Some of them drive more than two hours twice a week to play for that team and they travel all over God’s green earth for games. Good for them.
MyGirl and her teammates lost. But, they never gave up. They tried until the very end.
I’ll tell you what else they didn’t do, they didn’t flop. They didn’t fall down on the ground and pretend to be hurt to get a foul called. At one point in the game (or maybe FOUR!), one of their players hits the ground, she stays down, covers her face and starts to “cry.” When she realizes that the game isn’t going to stop – she pops right up and starts to play. Their coach was called out to the field at least four times to check on her players. And they only had to use a sub once for an actual injury – but that girl came back into the game 2 minutes later - LAME. Now, is that the reason why they beat us? No – not even close. I’ve seen them and other teams do it for years. I’ve told my daughter she might get a foul or called in her favor if she stayed down on the ground a little longer, but I’ll never say it again. It’s beneath her. I want her to play the game – not the refs and not the parents. I’d rather have a SpeedOfLightGirl that plays injured to finish the game than a FlopSchoolFloozy any day of week. And maybe that’s part of the game – but it’s definitely not part of “the Beautiful Game.” (Pele)

Let me step down from my soapbox so that I can say, “The girls came in second place in the State!” In the early days, when we couldn’t score a goal, defend the goal or connect a pass, I never thought it would happen. I’m so happy for the girls. And don’t think, I don’t know who to thank! AllStarGirl’s mom and Coach #1 for getting it all started. Coach #2 for taking the girls to the next level and showing them they could win with hard work and dedication. (You led by example.) Coach #3 for demanding the girls have best skills, attitude and teamwork they can have. Coach #4 (AKA ParentCoach #1You were always there making sure the girls were working their hardest. I am putting this in writing – I take back everything I said about parent coaches as it pertains to YOU. You have walked the fine line between parent and coach with poise and professionalism.

And most of all thanks to girls. It’s been so much fun watching you work so hard to get so much better and make it so far. Always remember what hard work and dedication can get you…. A place in the Championship game!

P.S. Special thanks to the “Fun Committee” and the parents for making the girls a team off the field too! It’s a been a fun ride and it’s only going to get better! And I'm afraid, more elaborate!