The team is participating in the Midland Invitational Tournament this weekend.
Weather: Oh man did it stink today. For our two games it never got warmer than 42 degrees, always cloudy, with the wind coming from the west at a brisk 20 mph. Your soccer players? Dressed in undershirt, sweatshirt, and then the jersey, with a jacket to wear while on the bench. Mom and Kevin? Froze their butts off….
Midland: For a city that’s 66 miles away as the crow flies; it’s an ugly 1 hour 40 minute drive from here. That means an early early start…we were out the door at 6:20 am to get there so I can register the team….First game is at 9:15. All of the hotels within 30 miles are either sold out or cost over $120 a night so the team made the decision to drive up and back both days……
Game 1: Played the Midland Fusion team. Game dynamics are a little weird; if you were playing with the wind you dominated play and your goal kicks went 3/4 of the way down the field, if not completely off of it. Team continued it’s non-passing ways and gave up a goal late to lose 3-2. The second goal we scored was off a nice little pass by Matthew, who had the ball in front of the goal with the defender in front of him and chose not to shoot but to slide it over to his open teammate. Christopher played ok, but, still needs to work on not lunging at the ball…..a little more hustle would have helped too….this was a problem with everyone since it was easy to stick your hands in your pockets. He wasn’t the only offender.
Game 2: Had to wait three hours after the first loss to play the second game….a lot of time to sit and stew over the loss. We’ve been trying to think of the next incentive for the boys, what we want them to do to get another ice cream gift card and before the game I tell the boys, you get an assist….you pass the ball and we get a goal, you get the reward. Maybe that will open up the passing.
We win 3-1 against a team from Grand Haven. Their one goal is a fluke from the wind (which they had in the first half), their goalie punted it the whole field and our goalie fumbled it…and they swooped in and scored. Our second goal was a fluke….in the second half we had the wind and Christopher booted it 2/3 of the field, bounced it off the goal post(!) and we collected the rebound and scored.
The other two goals were not flukes….and Matthew had both of them. In the first half he closed in and took a shot that bounced through the goalie’s hands and went in. Late in the 2nd half he collected a great pass in front of the goal, turned on the defender and did his ‘move’ that you can see over and over on his videos…fake left, cut right, and take the shot. He made this move, cut right and I saw the kid not follow and I knew, knew that the ball was going in…..and he finishes just like I think he will…..he just absolutely buried it. He comes off after the goal and the other coach scoops him up and turns him upside-down in celebration….his teammate gets the gift card for the assist. Mom wanted a goal for Mother’s Day; she got two!
I think that one of the other parents may have got some video of the second goal…my family wasn’t taping (it was wet, and really windy….so, completely understandable).
We play at least one game tomorrow….if we lose we’re done, but, if we win, we move on to the championship.
