The husband was not really feeling a Monday evening game. The thought of the team going to school all day, playing around, and then having to come and perform on the soccer field afterward was just NOT a good idea to him. Not to mention the fact that we were playing the team with the best skill set we had seen all season. We'd battled this team earlier in the season and were able to come back from a 4-0 deficit to win the game 6-4, but the comeback happened in the 4th quarter. None of the parents on the team were looking forward to the game (not to mention our ENTIRE team.)
The trepidation did NOT arise from the opposing team as a whole, it came from ONE player. One very large, outstanding, impressive, Freddie Adou (or however you spell it) type of gal. Her name was "Denai" (pronounced 'deny'). Denai has a serious foot on her. She can LITERALLY stand in the goal on one end of the field and kick the ball into the goal at the other end...SERIOUS skills. She also has a very swift foot and is really a good ball handler. Top all that with the fact that she is Manny Pacquiau tough, and about 5 feet tall, and you have a very tough opponent. (Oh, by the way, did I mention that Denai was 6 years old? Yup, she has to play up TWO years, because she dominated the 6 and 7 year olds she previously played with.
Now that the Denai stage has been set, we can discuss the other players on her team. They are a very quick, well gelled machine. It is apparent that their coach really works on their skills and focuses on them working together. If I haven't gotten the point across: they are really A GOOD team. A team we were NOT looking forward to playing.
Enter Monday afternoon. I picked C up from school at 1:30, because I wanted to give her a chance to lie down before she hit the field. At 4:50 we were all in the car headed to the game, geeked and ready to play! ALL throughout P's football career we have had routines EVERY game day (same breakfast, same piece of luggage, etc.). About midway through C's soccer season we began wearing a button emblazoned with her soccer picture on it. We didn't wear said buttons yesterday (I'm convinced at this point that was mistake number 1). Now I get to the business at hand....
First Quarter: Our starters were Kerrigan at goalie, Big Meg, Caeden, Lil' Meg, and Ashlyn... The other team? 4 little girls and Denai. If you ever wanted to see a team spooked, all you needed to do was be present at our game, watch our girls' faces when they saw Denai walk onto the field, and there you'd have it!!! I've never seen my child visibly shaken by the presence of another player, but I did on this day. Whenever there would be a battle for the ball, and Denai was anywhere in the fold, CAEDEN was NOT! My Noodle was a NERVOUS mess! Her daddy sat beside me in a state of utter FRUSTRATION, because she was playing, well....BAD. She was missing shots, backing down from the steal, not pressing--just OFF her game. On a good note, her ENTIRE team was playing much the same way. It was sad. Then IT happened: Denai scored. Spirits CRASHED. Then another girl on the opposition scored...and another.... They were up 2-0 in the 1st quarter!!! And we were DEVASTATED going into the.....
Second Quarter: Hmmm.... Much of the same. Denai was NOT in the game! The other team's coach's daughter was, however, in as goalie and she was a BEAST. We put in Lil' Meg, Rebecca, Big Meg, Kerrigan, and Ashlyn as goalie. I guess our spirits had been nearly crushed, because the first quarter activity continued, until on a pass from Rebecca, Lil' Meg scored. Our girls just couldn't seem to gel. There were some wide open shots that just kept being missed, more missed passes, consistent steals, and they just didn't look like themselves. You could see the frustration on their faces, and it was a very dismal feeling over on the parent's sidelines. I can honestly say, though, that we did NOT give up on cheering for our girls, and I am proud to have been a Lightening parent yesterday! Our game fell over into.....
HALFTIME: Our entire team was on the bench having their pep talk in a snotty, boogery, crying FIT. Caeden just had that one look on her face; the one that says, " one wrong look, and the waterworks will begin over here." I saw Coach Mumme pull Caeden to the side, say something to her, saw Caeden's hands flailing as she said something back, and then she came and got her daddy to come onto the field and practice with her. Peerless very bluntly told her he was about to play her like Denai, because he--by now--was EXTREMELY frustrated at the thought of her being afraid of an opponent. They went onto the field and were--genuinely--two prize fighters at battle. He then gave her a few words (I have NO clue what they were) and she trotted off to the bench, and that's when we began the....
Third Quarter: Denai was back in. *SIGH*. We played Caeden, Lil' Meg, Kerigan, Lauren, and Big Meg as goalie. I won't drone on with the "more of the same" report, but that's what it was. They were trying, but it just wasn't happening. I hated to say it, but our undefeated season was being handed to us in a gift wrapped package. It was sad, and I was kind of happy to get to the....
Fourth Quarter: I'm guessing the other team knew they had it in the bag, because Denai was in the game as goalie. I had seen her during warmups, and I leaned over and told my mom and P that her feet were better than her hands. Nonetheless, our poor girls could only look in the goal and see this huge, impenetrable force. We put Caeden, Rebecca, and Ashlyn on offense, Big Meg down low to defend, and Lil' Meg in goal. Somewhere a spirit of resilience came over our girls, and you could see a bit of a change in them. About two minutes into the quarter, Caeden dribbled down the field, and scored. At least we wouldn't have her streak in scoring broken, as well as her undefeated season. A minute or two later, she scored AGAIN. This brought the game to 4-3, US! As the game continued, our parents continued cheering the girls on, and the other team became increasingly quiet. Halfway through the quarter, Rebecca scored! 5-3! The game continued, the other team was fighting, Denai was kicking the ball downfield--nearly getting it into the goal. Meg and Meg were on the other end of the field defending our goal. Caeden, Becca, and Ashlyn were fighting to keep their lead, like fierce warriors, it was INTENSE. Suddenly there's a battle going on for the ball, and Caeden emerged victorious. She dribbled down the field, and SCORED yet, again!!! 6-3! When the referee blew the whistle three times signaling the end of the game, our sidelines ERUPTED!!! Our girls were running into each other ELATED!!! It was a scene straight from a movie!!!
I think once Caeden figured out that Denai wasn't as impenetrable as she first thought, something in her clicked. She became that player she had been all through the season, and was ready to be a part of her team's comeback to defeat their own personal Goliath! Yesterday was one of those games where you tell someone, "Let me tell you about the game on Monday....", and I just did. Thanks for sharing in our victory!
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