Last First High School Game

Tonight was the last first high school game. Every year I dread the high school season. The level of play is always an adjustment after travel ball. After the first game, you just agree to watch bad soccer and hope you aren’t as bad as the others. 

Keagan is playing center back; he says it’s boring and wants to be in the midfield or playing as an outside back where there’s more action. But tonight’s pre-season score was 3-0; he’s on his way to a clean sheet. I hope I can persuade him to save his knees, play in the back, and work for a zero in the “goals scored against” column. 

Another Tally in the W column

Here we are with another tally in the W column. We won Thursday night 2-1.

(I’m going to need an intervention from the photographer.)

 Keagan is playing with the knee wrapped, but he’s clearly playing in pain. He refuses to sit out. At the end of Thursday night’s game Coach moved him to right back. He assumed it would require less running. Would you know the opposing team tried to take advantage of the limping player by taking the ball to his side of the field three times in five minutes? Keagan was working that sideline, though, like his life depended on it. His “squishy” knee gets four days of rest before our next game. 

Go Hawks!

Rivalry

Wednesday night’s game was against our local rival. Typically this is a very competitive game and all of the community soccer fans come out to watch. Our stands were full of elementary aged soccer players as well as school mates. 

Some of my favorite people came to watch the game. 

We kicked off just as the sun was setting. 

And 61 minutes later we came away with a 9-0 mercy rule win! 

Pure joy! This win has us sliding into the first seed spot for the district tournament. 

My #14 is giving it his all and playing with so much heart despite the knee pain and inflammation.

❤️ him!

It Can’t Be!

It’s game time, People! We had our first official high school soccer game of the season and I had to blink twice at introductions. Is that...? Number 27? Number 36, of course. I fully expected Evan in the starting line up. But 27? What number is Keagan wearing tonight? It can’t be, but it is! That’s both of my boys in the starting line up! 

Some coaches get it. Freshmen can play varsity and play a full game and be one of the best on the field! 

We lost 0-2, both goals were set pieces, and neither could be attributed to my players. I Can Not Wait to See This! 

Back on the Pitch

You would not believe how happy I was to see this kid play this weekend.

https://youtu.be/FR3qM8qwE9Y

In game one, he played lights out! It was such a great performance, I had to stand and give an ovation at half. 😂 We tied that game 5-5. In game two the opposing team’s player was red carded for cleating Keagan in the right knee. When he went down, I was so fearful it was so much more serious, but he just has cleat marks across the knee cap. In today’s game, Keagan did not play nearly as well, but in the first ten minutes of the game, he was stepped on and now has a broken big toe. What horrible, horrible luck! He’s icing and elevating all over again!

We lost the semifinal game in PKs, so we did not come home with medals. But we played in the 03 bracket and played today like a winning team. I’m very excited about our next game and the future of these boys!

Guess Who

Evan’s playing soccer this weekend. And playing forward at that! I just can’t even process how that is a good decision.

I’m not the only one. Another parent was heard asking, “Why is the best defender in the city playing up top?”

We are in between games and trying to beat the heat, so we made a quick trip to the bookstore. Wes, Evan, and I bought these books. Nothing speaks truer to our interests and personalities.

Can you match the person to the book?

Game One: Middle School Soccer

You know it’s time for spring soccer when the cherry trees at the park look like this. Every year I see them, and every year I gawk at the brilliance. Every year I take a picture and regret I am unable to capture the true beauty. 

We won game one of the middle school soccer season with a score of 6-0. I’m not sure how it is possible, but Keagan scored a goal while playing CDM. Our team looked like professionals next to the opposing team.  

Game two is Wednesday, and I’m expecting similar results. It’s a great year to be a Hawk!

Tournament Finalists

Like every Labor Day weekend for the past six years, we spent the long weekend playing soccer in Murfreesboro. Keagan’s team won the first three games of our first tournament quite easily. We beat Stones River 3-0, Quest 4-1, and our club’s B team 6-0, but by the time the fourth game arrived against Camp Forest, we had nothing left to give. The boys were tired, sore, and hungry. And we played like it. We ended the championship game with a score of 2-3. 

Sons of Pitches

It’s summer time and Keagan’s 3v3 team spent their first free weekend playing soccer. We were hoping to spend Saturday playing in the state tourney, but our loss last weekend against Knoxville, eliminated our team. Sons of Pitches played in Clarksville instead.

Evan is the coach. He remained calm on the field, offered a few words of advice to the boys, encouraged from the sidelines, and substituted the players so they all got equal playing time.  (I know that last part was hard for him.) He argued with the ref’s bad calls AFTER the game and even got the final score of game two changed in our favor when he was able to articulate why she was wrong.

We won game one. Lost game two. Tied game three. And lost in the third place game. We finished in fourth even after playing up. Not bad, but not great. Keagan had a goal in game three - this is his shot. 

Evan’s coaching contract has been extended to July. Let’s see if he can come up with a plan for winning by then. 

Soccer, Soccer, Soccer

High school soccer #38, middle school soccer #14, and travel soccer #13.  March and April have been busy. Evan is counting the days until his travel season resumes on May 14. He’s actually hoping the highschool team will lose so that he won’t miss travel practice.

Fall in the Mountains

The boys picked me up from the airport Friday night and we drove east to Asheville, NC (to play soccer of course), but after game one, we did some site seeing. 

The mountains were beautiful, the scenery stunning, the food delicious. The city became even more memorable, though, after winning both games. 

Who wouldn't want this as a backdrop?

Soccer Saturday

We spent the beautiful, weather perfect-weekend in one of my favorite cities in Tennessee, and this is all I saw. 

I may love Chattanooga, but I love watching my boy play soccer even more. It's a good thing, too, because this is all my calendar includes until Thanksgiving. 

We are one step closer to spending our spring playing RPL.

Meanwhile, Evan spent his free Saturday Reffing a few U-8 girls' games. 

Oh! Be still my heart. That's him bent over and teaching the littles the 

game of soccer.