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Fall 2011 - Game 4 Winning Effort Not Victory
The girls in light blue, on the other hand, were arriving one at a time. Most were not visible through the windows of their cars as they lay prone on the back seat. Each new arrival meant we were ever closer to fielding a full team. They waited for each other--a quiet sign of team spirit--and for the last moment at which to change into their cleats. It's not that they don't want to play, it's that they just want to rest as long as possible. Also typical of this season was a last-minute phone call involving a sudden change in plans. This time it was Hailey, whose family had been involved in a minor car accident on the way to the match. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the call meant that the team would once again play with minimal substitutes available. As the team gathered to start their own warm-up they looked small. Stretching, yawning, and exchanging homecoming stories, they slowly began their, thankfully, memorized routine. Were it not for that routine, I'm not sure what would have triggered their ignition. "We're casual, but good," one said. And, you know, I guess that'a a pretty good characterization.
But our girls did wake up, and just seconds later I knew that the Fury had a test on their hands. Caris and Sammy had certainly come to play and they began to dominate the center of the field. Alyssa, Jillian, and Danielle covered the flanks and soon the whole midfield was putting pressure on the opposing goal. This season has come to be represented by disappointing results on the scoreboard, but not on the field. What looked like a more sophisticated and daunting opponent, was matched stride for stride by the smart and effective defensive efforts of Goose, Anna, Ash, and Erin in the back. The quartet has been a stabilizing factor, and has consistently kept matches close. There are moments that look chaotic, and the group still dives in to aggressively on occasion, but they manage to clear difficult balls on a regular basis. And the opposing defensive formation was repeatedly shredded by Avalanche attackers Steph and Holly. While we could not get the ball across the goal line between the pipes, their effort generated more than a half dozen corner kick chances and free kicks. Those are signs of good things and a breakout blizzard of goals will soon come.
As time expired, that early goal held up and the game was lost by the slimmest of margins. For the second straight match, the team that had the most chances to win simply didn't. Each week my post-game comments include the same word: pride. I'm proud of my team's consistent effort and the way they have remained together through what could be demoralizing times. And after that message today, the girls returned to their sandals and became casual once again. There were still stories to tell, but not about the game just played. It was, after all, the night after the Dance for most of them. Soon their heads were dropping low as they went to rest again in their cars for the trip home. They're casual, but they're good. Think snow! |
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