A Saga of Two Seasons

With just one game left in the Fall 2011 Soccer Season for both of my sons, we witnessed today one of--if not the most--dramatic day of play we've ever seen so far in their young lives. Derek's U12 Radioactives had strung together an impressive 5-2 record during the regular season, dominating other teams in their wins and scoring a prolific amount of goals. They headed into the playoffs as the 3rd seed, behind the two squads that had beaten them. One of those teams boasts big, strong boys who play a highly aggressive style of soccer. Our guys have always felt intimidated when matched up against this team (mentally "psyching themselves out"), and therefore have tended to play tentatively. Needless to say, the other team has beaten us...handily...a number of times over the years. And who did we meet today on the field? Of course, the dreaded "Yellow Team". Our players seemed calm, but we parents/spectators were a wreck on the sidelines, let me tell you.

Without subjecting you to the minute-by-minute recap ('cuz I could do it, don't test me!), suffice it to say both teams put on a sports exhibition, with a level of skill and competition that would make FIFA proud. The blazing speed, the crisp passing, the dazzling ball-handling, the heartstopping goalie-saves...it was a jaw-dropping spectacle from the spectator seats. (I'm serious, SportsCenter should totally have been filming this one!) The Radioactives challenged this rival team in a way that they never have managed to pull off before. At some point in the second half, Derek chipped a perfectly-placed shot over the opposing goalie into the net, for his green team's only goal. Unfortunately, the Yellow Team tied it up a few minutes later, and that's how it stood at the end of 60-minutes plus overtime, 1-1. Then...everyone got to suffer through the most brutal event in the World of Soccer: Penalty Kicks. (They should just drop the cute euphemism and call them what they really are: Slow Torture--for the kicker, the goalie...and the agonized parents). And the final result? Derek's team, having poured every last bit of their heart and guts onto the field, ended up losing by one shot. Although several of his teammates broke down in tears when it was over, we adults felt absolutely nothing but intense pride for our kids They never backed down, they gave it everything they had, and they astounded even those of us who've been watching them since, oh, first grade. Just...wow. (And thank goodness Derek himself, being his father's laid-back son, took the defeat fully in stride. He seems to instinctively flow with the concept of "Win Some, Lose Some". Within 10 minutes of the final whistle, he was happily throwing a football around with a pack of his teammate-pals. Resiliency is a beautiful thing!)

But, the day was not over for some of us. After being subjected to that emotional wringer, we still needed to mosey over to the adjacent field and cheer on Riley's U10 Hornets, already embroiled in their own fierce playoff contest. Now these little guys, bringing a wide variety of soccer experience and skill to their team (a mixture of "younger brothers", like Riley--who have been kicking a ball around practically since they learned to walk--with some relative novices thrown in) had posted a 2-5 record leading up to the playoffs. Recently, however, they had started to show vast improvement in their teamwork and overall play, and had finally seemed to "gel" as a unit on the field. Rather than the early-season (utterly ineffective) tactic of "swarming to the ball", they were doing a much better job of playing their positions, looking for teammates to pass to, moving the ball downfield, and defending their goal. (Here again it's easy to separate the newbies from the old hands--um, feet--there's Riley, who approaches the match with calm determinism, every throw-in, every pass, every clear...and then there are still munchkins who pump their fist every time they get a foot on the ball. But hey, their eight-year old exuberance is adorable!) With less than a minute left in the game, the score stood all tied-up at 1-1. Sound familiar? Inwardly I cringed, and braced myself for yet another gut-wrenching overtime situation. But wait...Riley has the ball, he dribbles toward the goal, he sends a pass across the middle to his friend (AKA the team's goal-scoring leader), who shoots...and scores! A thrilling last-second victory for the Hornets (and a vast relief for this Mom, who had frankly used up about a month's worth of adrenaline and was ready for a nap...yes, at noon.)

So, we enjoyed an altogether inspiring day of athletic accomplishment (with enough nail-biting moments thrown in to keep us on our toes) that I'm sure we'll remember for quite some time. It certainly was a rousing way to end the season, and now we can relax and...oh wait, I almost forgot...we have to do it again one more time...tomorrow! Maybe I can find some Valium lying around before then...