Soccer Update

Last Friday was the first playoff round. We won 5-0. It was a GREAT game - even if the temperatures were very, very chilly! William scored the first of the goals...and it was a beauty! While I think we played well, the other team really wasn't that good....a few couldn't even do a throw-in very well and got called on it.  But that's soccer in Lou-zee-ana. While you'll have a handful of players that understand the game, most kids here don't. They think they do, but little things like throw-ins they just don't understand it really does matter how you throw the ball back in.

The next playoff game was Wednesday about five hours away.  I ended up going alone.  Drew was out of town, Melissa had to babysit in the afternoon, and  Ben wasn't interested in being in a car for that long of time.  But I really didn't mind driving that far by myself.  After all, I went to college that far from home, so I've driven lots in my life alone.  I set up some podcast to listen to and enjoyed the sights.

Lou-zee-ana is not the most beautiful place in the world....very flat at times.  I guess there is an eery beauty in the swamps and bayous in the winter...the trees all look dead, though. Not a leaf on them!  But I did see next to houses a few dogwood trees already blooming -such pretty pink!  And in more of a wooded area there was a tree blooming with leaves that looked dark red or maybe they were just turning from green??  Either way, the dark red was very pretty and a nice sight in all the dead of winter around.

When I got to the playing field (the pitch as true soccer fans call it), I was excited to see the field was grass and not turf.  I thought that would help us.

I was wrong.

It did not.

We lost 5-1.  It really should have been 4-0.  One of their points was given to them by our goalie.  He caught the ball, then dropped it. Inside the goal.  Which counts.  Urgggg.  He felt so bad! (This is why I'm SOOOO glad neither of my boys are goalies!!!)  Our one goal came from a penalty kick.  They fouled one of our players close enough to the goal that we got an indirect penalty kick (where they can have several players trying to block the kick.  A direct kick is just the goalie trying to block it.) But a point is a point and we'll take it!  There was another time we really thought we scored, but the ball just didn't go in.

Overall, I think our boys played HORRIBLE!!!!  Several played like they were sleepy....sluggish...DRUGGED!  Not sure if the long bus ride did them in....too big of a lunch at the all-you-can-eat buffet...but our boys just didn't show up and play well.  This other team did! I really didn't see any one player of theirs that was outstanding, but they just knew how to play well as a team.  I think that has been a problem for us all season....we have several good players, but there's three that seem to play for themselves more than for the team.  Two of them have a hard time getting along with the rest of the team...not sure if anyone on the team actually likes them!

William had some good touches with the ball, but just couldn't seem to outplay those around him and make a huge play happen.

Its been a great season, though.  I have thoroughly enjoyed watching William play not just this senior year, but all four of his years at high school soccer. He really did have a great season!

So, that ends high school soccer.  Now we're back to the recreation league....Ben is on the same team as the fall and William will play as well as be a referee.