When we got started weeks ago with just 7 players, I never would have guessed that we would be three games into our season with a 2-1 record, but here were are.
Today's opponent played at a field just 15 minutes away from our school, so that was a very needed relief. We had no snafu's this time getting 14 kids to the game. The closest thing this time was one player unaccounted for who turned up in one of the other vehicles.
When we got to the field the first thing we noticed was that it was huge and the second thing we noticed was that half of the field was covered with geese. That problem was immediately solved when our smallest player (who also incidentally happens to have the most energy of anyone on the team) ran through the entire flock and got the field set for the two teams that had arrived. The third thing we noticed was that the field was dimly painted and the fourth thing we noticed was that the goals were not lined up with one another. The fifth thing we noticed was that their squad (made up of two small schools) had 11 total players - so we played 9-on-9. The last thing we noticed- well, I actually knew before arriving- was that there was no referee. The other coach tried every avenue he knew to get one (I even called a college friend with a huge social network) but to no avail. SO, the game was officiated by the two coaches- both dressed in professional teaching attire and a whistle hung around our necks. GAME ON!
With such a huge field, the 9-on-9 set up created some very tired players and a lot of dribbling in open field for both sides. We were able to cash in quickly on about our third attack to take the early lead and then scored again to lead 2-0. We had a mental lapse on defense and surrendered a goal right before halftime.
The second half was more of the same as the first. We kept the ball on their end for almost the entire time. We scored twice more- once on a sweet pass from one 8th grader to another ("dimes" as they are called in basketball and by the two guys involved in the score) and the other on a hard hit shot that actually ricocheted off the keeper into the goal.
I realized tonight that I probably could not be a soccer referee (or probably any referee for that matter) because I am too much of a fan to watch the finer points. I was working really hard to actually default to our opponents because I wanted my players to learn the game's finer points. There was really only one call I made that upset the other players- actually it was a call I didn't make on a ball they thought was out of bounds. I overheard them tell one another I was cheating (just like our kids do every drill in practice that has teams- but in those instances I really do cheat, but not all the time). To their credit though, the same kids that were upset told me that I had ref'd a good game afterwards.
Once again tonight the team hit the "pizza goal" of 3 or more goals and holding an opponent under 3. They also hit the "ice cream" goal of no hand ball calls- though I contend this one should not count since there were no real refs! I really figured that this season we would struggle to score and to stop other teams, but I had not accounted for several of our opponents coming from schools smaller than us. We have 3 games left and then an out-of-town tournament. Besides a couple fullbacks who still resent me for "forcing" them to play "so far back" from the action, our attitude and effort are continuing to encourage me.
GO TIGERS!
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