Soccer

            It’s the last day of the soccer season for our younger daughter.  Yet another tournament played on a cold, crisp fall day. An hour north of here, we are driving up with friends and the girls they are excited about the chance to prove themselves again against their peers. When we get out of the car, an icy blast of wind greets us; it’s a lot colder than we thought. My girl is in shorts and a game shirt; thank goodness Under Armor is easy and warm to layer. The parents huddle and stamp on the sidelines to keep warm as the girls are practicing doing their own warm up. Thanks to my oldest girl and her borrowing tendencies, I forgot my gloves  so I keep finding new and warmer extra gloves from my friends. I'm glad someone is more prepared than I was!

            Finally, the first game begins. My daughter gets into her favorite position, goalie. The parents talk about how intensely the girls are concentrating on the ball in the game. The team is really coming together, constantly calling out and directing their peers to help them to get that ball where they want it to be.  I hear the cry of "help! help! defense!" come up again and again. Another save by my girl, phew! One of her best buddies scores the only goal of the game. 

            The challenge now is keeping them warm for 45 minutes until game number two. A few of us take our girls to the nearby YMCA to use the facilities. It's a beautiful place, generously donated by an incredibly kind family that is well known in our state for their philanthropy. It's an open house so the girls snack on the free apple treats that are being handed out.  

            We head back to game number two. Not nearly so easy, a powerhouse defense girl just gets that ball every time it comes on her half. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her playing at a much higher-level one-day. The girls try hard, but they just can’t seem to make connections and revert back to that kick the ball forward and watch and see what happens play. It is not successful for them and they lose 0-2. 

            As we get a longer break for lunch, we talk about why things went so differently. My very wise mentor teacher told me that when you teach children things too fast, it all gets muddled together and they forget what they already know. This was a perfect example. They have been working so hard on ball skills; they are forgetting the field game. Bummer. 

     The third game is so well played, they are fast, calling out to each other, running constantly, the ball going from one end to another, they are well matched with this other team. It’s exciting to watch. Another girl is in goal and the defense leaves her alone for a split second, two of the opposition on one and she doesn't stand a chance, score 0-1. The goalie berated her defense, hilarious since she is a year younger than anyone else. They manage to keep the ball away, it’s halftime. The girls are antsy, they want to win. My daughter is back in goal, making save after save, the defense is weak, and they keep running up too far but can't get back quickly enough to defend. Such a learning curve. Unfortunately, my girl just can't save a three on one attack from the other team with the ball. She takes her misses personally, but she keeps valiantly trying to get her defense to help her out. Now the score is 0-2. They manage to keep the score the same and leave the field tired but happy that they get a medal from the tournament. 

     When we get home, she hears stories from her siblings about a family birthday party that she missed with cash in the piñata. Both of her siblings and her two cousins show her the cash that they all get from the day. Her response, "I don't care, the tournament was much more important to me! Look at my medal!!" So proud of my girl!