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Fall 2011 - Game 5 My Top Ten List
One of the guys will send me a t-shirt. Moves up the list. One of the guys will coach a youth team. Moves up the list. One of the guys will sarcastically tease me about my goalkeeping ability. Moves down the list. And so on. Fun stuff, right? Today, Coach Chris, who has done a great job as the Avalanche assistant coach during this challenging season, moved to the eleventh spot.
You might think that celebrating a draw is overdoing it a bit. But in this season of injuries (and now illness), finding true positives has been a consistent challenge. Today, however, every single player contributed to a memorable day. I wish I had a picture that would symbolize what they did, but I feel something strong and lasting in my heart that will do just fine. From the outset, the play was in our defensive end. Our opponent knew that we had an inexperienced keeper, no subs, and one less player than a full team. Their plan was to force us into our own end and never let us out. Their strategy worked briefly, but then the girls in light blue starting pushing back. We got the first corner kick and the first real pressure on either goal. From that moment on we were in it. At halftime, many of the girls said that they felt like they had already played a whole game. When you're at a roster disadvantage like we were that's not a very good thing to hear, but their body language said something different. They had no intention of losing this match. They might not win, I said, but the other team was going to remember playing them. The second half opened similar to the first, and the Patriots once again controlled the play. Several good through balls went wanting, though, as our keeper, Jennie, made superb decisions to come off her line. Frustrated by their inability to score, the home team kept pressing hard. Over and over I checked my watch and time seemed to be moving very slowly. In fact, Coach Chris finally told me to stop looking. Good idea.
Finally, the clock started ticking down to within ten minutes. Then five. Then two. A late corner kick brought the stress level back up, but I knew that just one more clearance would bring out the referee's whistle. And, sure enough, there it was. The end. A brilliant scoreless match against all odds. Some on the team said that every bone, every joint, and every muscle hurt. But you could tell that each girl was satisfied with what they had just accomplished. Athletes and coaches are involved in hundreds of games in their lifetimes, but they only really remember a few. I will remember this one forever, and I think the Avalanche may look back on this as a true turning point in their season and one of their best all around efforts. My top ten list may not change for a while. Think snow! |
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