Kyra's Dad's Write Up, Pacesetter Tournament 2!

PACESETTER TOURNAMENT part 2

One other thing about game 1 that my middle aged brain failed to recall: While it's true our girls had a hard time controlling play in the first half, we did have some success on the counter attack, but were thwarted each time by the odd but effective strategy employed by the Whitecaps of playing their backline way up, so as to earn an offsides whistle nearly every time we sent a pass into their zone. The go-ahead goal that Christina put in after a tough angled strike by Rhea, was called back on one such occasion.

GAME 2

A 6:40 am trip back to the fields wasn't ideal for a few sleepy girls and some groggy parents (gotta love that hotel bar!). Of course we couldn't complain too much about the early start time with temps for the day forecasted to be well into the mid 90's. The crisp morning air was absolutely perfect, and it wasn't long before the girls, and even the parents, were up to full speed. With the whistle blowing promptly at 7:30, the girls were determined to make this their morning against a worthy opponent from suburban Pittsburgh, Victory Express. And from the start, this looked more like a Force game than the previous day's match. Even with the larger, more physical opponent, our girls used their speed and quick, instinctive passing to set the tone. Without Zoe in the middle, terrific play by Lauren, Rhea, and Grace provided some nice opportunities early on. But the team in blue wasn't about to back down and it seemed on this morning they would be the ones to exploit with the counter attack. But leave it to our superb backline to deny any foray into the Force end. Not enough can be said of the outstanding play of Annabelle, Emmi, Jill, and Sophia. All weekend long, they would reliably and deftly quell the panic of the parents on the Force sideline. All weekend long, they would frustrate even the most skilled attackers. As the first half wound down, and with the intense action on the field, it was clear we were in for another tightly contested match. Halftime found a visit from a Victory dad to some of the Force parents. He was very complimentary to our girls, he thought they were more skilled and quicker with decisions than his team. He felt teams from western PA were at a disadvantage because of the lack of flatland. Interesting theory.

Maybe his words were an omen, because during the second half we sensed that, sooner or later, the Force would capitalize. It looked as though Victory Express had no answer for the speed and finesse of our girls up front. Anastasia, Sawyer and Kyra took turns challenging the defense. Jazzy, Christina and Rhea all had near misses on net. Shoot the ball and good things will happen. And shoot they did. So here it was with 10 minutes left, and finally, the moment we had been waiting for. Lauren to Grace to Rhea, who as she so often does, finds a deep angle and launches one, far post. Shoot the ball and good things DO happen. Just ask Rhea's Mom. 1-0.

Of course we can't forget the "Golden 5 Minutes" - and it was 5 minutes of sheer terror among the Force families. Annabelle's mom was so tense she was compelled to turn away and watch the game on the neighboring field. The girls of course were more composed, skillfully turning away any attack. And as our last line of defense, Kate was impenetrable. Kate impresses me as quite a leader on the field, and when called upon is as skilled as any young goalkeeper (this would be put to the test in game 3). 5 minutes and counting, where's the insurance goal? Oh yeah, Sawyer! We've seen this before- a nice delivery from midfield found a streaking Sawyer with one defender to beat. 2-0. And that would do it. Thank the soccer gods.

GAME 3

So here we were, just one win away from moving on to the playoffs. Maybe this could really happen. Hold on though, not so fast. The final opponent would be none other than the mighty Ohio Premier Eagles, who currently sat in first place, having beaten the other two teams seemingly with ease. Big. Athletic. Skilled. Fast. one look at them on the field and you get the impression this is a team of u-14 or u-15 girls. And rumor has it they're coached to play a bit dirty. Mid-afternoon on a 90 degree day against an invincible team. No Zoe. This could get ugly. The only way to find out of course, is to play the game. The opening whistle immediately confirmed our worst fears. It looked as though OP had no weakness. Were they that good? Maybe our girls were a bit sluggish in the hot afternoon sun. Nothing was going their way. The barrage we faced in the first 15 minutes was something to behold. But as I touched on earlier, Kate was equal to the task, stopping anything and everything that came her way. All you need to know about Kate and our fantastic defenders is this: None of the 10 teams in the u-12 11v11 bracket allowed fewer goals than the Force. It is a true testament to the players that we have in the back. Of course it helps to be lucky sometimes, as was the case late in the half when we were called for a penalty in the box (go figure!?!). A skilled OP striker, one on one against Kate? There was certainly a sense of inevitability with this one. But again, thank the soccer gods, the shot rang off the crossbar! Could it be? scoreless at halftime against this team? Consider it a moral victory.

So, could the girls settle in, make some some adjustments and really challenge this team? Incredibly, and proudly to all who witnessed, the answer was yes. Little by little the Force began creating opportunities, buzzing bees Kyra and Anastasia began pestering their bigger opponent with quickness, agility and yes, even physicality. Jazzy began forcing her will with size and deceptive skill. Lauren managed the game from midfield with creativity and flair, what a gamer she is. All of this led to some real chances. During one sequence, there was more action in front of the OP net than in the entire first half. But the soccer gods would not be as generous this time, that perfect bounce would not come, even with Sawyer, Christina and Kyra lurking. Even so, the resilience of our girls began to frustrate the side from suburban Columbus. A yellow card was even given to one particular player who was shoving anyone she came into contact with (just ask Jazzy's Mom).

But just when you thought the tide had finally turned, disaster. A loose ball popped free just behind our defenders leaving Annabelle to chase down a deceptively fast forward. Kate heroically tried to beat her to the ball but just missed. It was a dagger that found the left corner of the net, and the heart. Disaster indeed. Especially considering how brilliantly the defense had played to that point. I'm tempted to say that Annabelle was the player of the tournament, but a nod could be given to any number of our girls. For this game we should give special recognition to Emmi, who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, always knew when to step up, and always seemed to deliver a perfect ball.

Could our girls find enough for one last push? They gave it their all, but sadly, it was not to be. OP dug in their heels and slowed down the game with increasingly rough play. In the final minutes the size mismatch began taking its toll, and Kyra, even with all her mighty mouse toughness, fell victim to the mayhem with a twisted ankle. And with the referee peeking more frequently at his watch, we new that was it. There would be no back to back trophies. But there's nothing to be sad about. All should be very proud. Responding at halftime and taking a team of that caliber down to the wire is quite an accomplishment. Cookie said as much himself. To him, this was their best match of the tourney. And of course there's something else we can all smile about: NO SECOND NIGHT IN THAT HOTEL!

Although the bar was quite fun. Just ask Sawyer's Dad. And Emmi's Dad. And Stasia's Dad. And Sophia's Dad. And Jazzy's Dad. And Jazzy's Mom. And Grace's Mom. And Lauren's Mom...

Thanks for listening and feel free to share your own thought or memories from the weekend.