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 1st 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 8th 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!
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