Summer Season Game 1 vs The Nutria

We set this party off right!

First game of summer season was glorious and set the proper tone for games to come!

First let me welcome our new Grass Kickers who now have joined the Black and Maroon - introducing:

00  Big James - keeper extraordinaire whom I have dubbed "The Kraken" when he comes flying out of goal and onto the pitch. He is athletic, friendly and oh did I mention the man is a freaking GIANT. Watch him sometime during game stopping balls both in and out of goal and you will see why I call him The Kraken

09 Teresa - this lady is a gem that I was lucky enough to get to in my sifting of interested players provided by the city. In our first game out she has shown herself to be a great asset as our star female striker.

11  Phil - This man is solid, not only does deftly defend the goal when in keep, he also consistently manages to dribble right through the opposition despite all their foo-foo river dance fancy footwork

12 Taylor - While previously identified mainly as the dude with the beard - Taylor has surprised everyone with his clean shaven baby faced visage and the dexterity to match the youth unveiled.

13 Little James - newly recruited away from the Taz Devils James is quick, agile and from experience he has the 6th sense and sneaky ability to move amongst the enemy unnoticed and be at the right place at the right time.

17 Martin - after playing with me, Nate and Josh on the Legit Misfits as well as on my indoor team Martin has now officially joined the Black and Maroon. Not only does he have a good foot, he is a strategic player that has great touch.

27 Palmira - Josh's family continues to enmesh with his soccer one, as his lovely wife Palmira will be joining us on the pitch. I have great confidence in her skill as her father is Cesar from Legit Misfits, and her son Allejo has often given men twice his age and size a run for their money in many a pick up game.

28 Michael - I believe this will be Michael's first season playing soccer outdoors. He is fast, nimble, agile and also just an overall very nice guy! I have played with him on my indoor team this past season where his unflagging energy has been awe inspiring - lets see what he can do outdoors!

30 Wayne - Many of us remember the first time we met him, a complete novice who looked like he would be more at home in a Buddhist temple than on the soccer pitch. Wayne has come a long way from that 1st day and after 2 seasons of growth first in hat draw then on the Legit Misfits I am glad to welcome Wayne to the Grass Kickers

31 CJ - She's fierce, she's determined and she's a ginger! Though I have been an acquaintance for a few years outside of soccer it was not until the first time she took me up on my soccer invite that I got to see the fire behind the red hair! CJ is returning to the sport after a long hiatus but after a few pick ups and last season on the Legit Misfits it is obvious that she has not forgotten the skills she learned in high school!

32 Brandi - newly lured away with the promise of rum from Dam United Brandi and her amazing foot is now where she belongs - with the Grass Kickers! What can I say - her foot and ball placement has been commented on and envied by many, her tenacity at both offense and defense makes her an asset anywhere on the field and to top it off she bakes some killer Guinness cupcakes with Bailey's icing.

33 Paolo - newly stolen from The Mighty Narwhals with the combined charms of Kenji, Phil, and Michael (this foursome anchors their men's indoor team MIBOW) Paolo is a powerful forward and striker that I am excited to unleash on our opponents.

and finally as some of you might know Josh - who was injured last season against the Pen Fed Pirates - will unfortunately not be able to join us for this season. However as in most situations there is a silver lining and I am happy to welcome back Micah who will be temporarilyy donning #19 in Todd's place for this season.

now without further ado...

Game 1 vs The Nutria Recap

I could not have asked for a better game 1. The weather was perfect - it was warm but not hot with a bit of a breeze to liven up this early summer evening of blue sky and glorious sun. Turn out was amazing (though I want to remind everyone to not get too comfortable with the amount of subs we had last night as it will be uncharacteristic of the rest of the season - summer travel, vacations etc) and as our players got their new jerseys (which i thought turned out awesome even if i do say so myself) they got to welcome back returning faces as well as meet some new ones.

This game saw the return of Jenny - who if you all remember was injured last season playing this same team and was out for the rest of Spring. She has not only returned in prime form but she also returned with a vengeance and scored a goal in the 1st half! Brandi made her debut on the grass kickers with goal right out of the gate. And Micah showed us that even though he has been away from the GK for 2 seasons he nonetheless retained his skills and also scored a goal.

Overall the team played very well together and I think this team has great promise to continue the winning streak!

After game a few of us went to High Street McMennimans' for some celebratory drinks and socializing.

Great game everyone!

Game 8 vs Slow Mo recap and season wrap up

Hey everyone sorry for the late posting! With Josh injured and not attending the games, and Olivia on vacation I have been too swamped to get a game recap going!

Lets see…

Game 8 vs. Slow Mo

This game was a close one. The game started off with the Grass Kickers playing down a man for the first ¾ of the 1^st half. We fought to hold it down but between the fact that they had their own “Nate” (an equally fast and skilled Asian of the same height) and the fact that we were playing down a man they managed to score 2 goals. It was only through the couragous saves made by David and the lightning speed of Nate that we weren't completely creamed in those first 30 minutes. When Morgan arrived we started to breathe the beginnings of a sigh of relief which was further helped with the appearance of Alex. Finally as half time neared in the far distance we saw the tall and distinctive silhouettes of Keaton and Ian making their way to the field and I believe I was not the only person who broke into a grin and screamed “Oh thank god!”

The second half saw Alex in goal and the dynamic duo on the field. It is with the solid ball handling skills and also amazing teamwork of our forwards and mids (Kenji, Tyler, Scott, Hannah, Ian, Keaton, Bree) that we allowed our superstar of the game to shine - our amazing Andrea scoring not 1 but 2 goals! As we closed in on the end of the second quarter we were tied up but heartbreakingly in the last 5 minutes the Slow Mo’s striker shot a rocket at Alex , despite his valiant effort to stop the ball and the presence of his shin, that had too much spin and spun off his leg and into the goal.

This game marked our last game on the pitch with Tyler and Bree. Tyler played with an energy and determination that was quite frankly awe inspiring, playing with unflagging enthusiasm and really showing us what the Grass Kickers is losing with his departure. His ever present smile which belies the ferocity of his attacks has always been embedded in my mind when I think of games past. In this last game Bree’s intelligent playing, skillful ball handling and on the pitch communications underlined to me how much she has been inspiring for me and the other ladies who were so new to soccer back when the team was formed. Her poise and strength really made her an important foundational member of the team and she will be missed.

Season re-cap

This season has been amazing for me personally and I think it has been a wonderful experience for our team. It was very satisfying to see how far we have come from last season (we won a game this time around!) both in terms of the skills of the individual players and also in terms of how we have grown together as a team. The time that all of us had spent in the previous seasons playing together and getting to know each other definitely paid off on the pitch. We communicate better, we trust each other’s skill, we know our teammates strengths and weaknesses – this all results in game play that was leaps and bounds beyond last season. I think it is fitting that our last game this season was against Slow Mo – a team we played for our first game in the fall season. Whereas at that first inaugural game of this brand new team I for one was confused and intimidated – this season we held our own. In every game we played this season we made our opponents fight for every single point – and fight hard too!

Though with every season we lose some players and we gain some players I am so happy that the core of what makes the Grass Kickers the best team ever remains intact. We might not be the most winning team but I honestly think we are the closest, happiest, and most social team. We are a team that even when we lose we are still having more fun and laughing more than the team that won. We are the team that when faced with heckling and bad sportsmanship from the opponents and their sidelines we respond by being louder with our cheers and support for our teammates and drown out the negativity. We are the team that even in freezing cold or torrential rain, with a stuffy nose or a bum ankle, when we are on the pitch together there is nowhere else I would rather be and no other group of people I would rather be with.

Summer season starts next week and as with each season we will lose some teammates and gain new ones. I cannot wait to start this next season in the company of our returning players and getting to know the new additions!

Tyler’s good bye blow out dance party bash

In order to send off Tyler right to his next adventure I invite the entire team (both current, past and future) to come out this Friday night, the 8^th of June to the Oak Street Speakeasy for a night filled with laughter, dancing and fond farewells. Our amazing and talented Myeshia will be performing with her band The Essentials this evening (if you haven’t made it out to one of her gigs what in the world are you thinking?!?!?) with the opening band going on at 9:30pm. Come early before she goes on so that the poor girl gets to socialize with you all before she has to be on! Then we will dance the night away with Tyler (if you haven’t been treated to his moves on a dance floor then you really don’t know the man) to the mesmerizing sound of Myeshia’s voice.  I hope to see you all there!