I was ready to get back to soccer this weekend but the kids were ecstatic! The Sharks were, in fact, a little crazy with extra energy and despite winning handily they didn't exactly play their game. It seemed to me that many of the kids, probably due to the new surroundings, were playing with a bit of tunnel vision. Elizabeth chased the ball, rather than getting ahead of the action, in a way she hasn't done in a while. At one point late in the game I asked her to drop back into a midfield position hoping that what she needed was some space to get her vision for the whole field back. I had noticed Austin doing this instinctively earlier in the game. He fell into his old accustomed position behind the half line and was able to start seeing the plays develop rather than chase the ball around. It did seem to help Elizabeth too and she started to play near the end with her usual grace and intelligence.
Everyone played very well to be sure but they all seemed to be in just a bit of a hurry. We had stand out work in keeper from all of our goalies and I was especially impressed with Jagger today. On one play he snatched the ball right from the feet of an attacking player and that kid's inertia carried him right into Jagger. Jagger just hugged the ball tight and leaned up into the bigger kid, looking him right in the eye with a kind of "yeah, whadda you want" look on his face. Priceless.
McKenzie was fierce today and yet also seemed intent on moving the ball with precision. She didn't seem as bothered by the new field. Neither was Jackson who came right into the game with a general's confidence, directing his teammates and controlling the action when in the field.
The star of the day was Karolyn who was back after a few sessions off and she seemed like she had hardly missed a step. In fact I think she played better than ever with more sustained intensity and sureness than she had ever shown before. We're glad to have her back!
The combined Polar Bears and Thunder elected to take the name Thunder Bears! That was a suggestion from Zychik's mom. The team played very well and I was especially impressed with the play we saw from Micah and Ava who both played with a lot more composure than we'd seen from them before. Micah had two fabulous runs toward the goal where he was really deftly controlling the ball while hitting his stride. Ava, of course, was fierce in her attack but she was also looking up a lot more and staying aware of her surrounding and her teammates.
Carson, Logan, Ava and Eileen all had good turns in as keeper for us. Ashley showed her usual great ball control but was having trouble getting out into the open space for a real run. All in all though that was a great game against a very strong team.
The Tigers are now the Bengal Tigers. I tried to get them to go for Tiger Sharks in anticipation that they might all be Sharks one day but Bennett insisted on Bengal Tigers. When I tried to call them the Bengal Tiger Sharks he wasn't having it and patiently reminded me every time that they were just the Bengal Tigers. Well, whatever they are they played beautifully and Austin was on fire. He's got the power for sure but he is becoming so surefooted when moving with the ball. He had as good a game as he's ever had.
Diego's brother Damien joined us for the first time and I know he'll get used to the field and play more next week. He's a kid who really likes having the ball close and controlling it, like his brother, rather than just booting it.
Great Saturday everyone. It was good to be back.
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