The first half was somewhat uneventful and no one scored, although we had way more shots on goal. Some of Kaylyn's teammates believe that she actually scored on a header that sent the ball behind the goal line before a defender kicked it out but the AR didn't see it. Then Linfield scored in the 64th minute and appeared on their way to a colossal upset. Who wouldn't love to upset the #2 team? They were fired up! And to make matters worse, Kaylyn went down with a sprained ankle! After being helped off the field, Mel (the trainer - we love you Mel!) iced it and then wrapped it and said she was okay to play. So back in she went and almost tied it up in the 75th minute when she ripped a shot from 30 yards out that hit the crossbar.
It was getting down to the final minutes and the parents were all trying to determine who knew CPR so they could revive the rest of us! We couldn't stand to watch. The clock counted down: 5 mins, 4 mins, 3 mins, 2 mins. and we're down by 1. Parents were passing out right and left! The girls really turned it on the last 20 mins and had shot after shot but they weren't going in. The shots were 27-8 in our favor. It came down to the last minute of play before we were able to tie it up! Whew! We then went on to win 2-1 in overtime. So now, technically, even though the polls won't show it, the Pirates were #1 for the day!
I think the girls decided that they didn't like making these games closer than they had to be because the next day they came out with a vengeance!! We scored in the 8th minute and then about 3 mins later we had the opportunity to make it 2-0 on a PK. But..... unfortunately we missed it and for some reason that seemed to take some air out of our sails. We let up a little and Willamette tied it up 13 mins. later.
After the half, we just couldn't seem to get our offense going and it was all we could do to hold the Bearcats. They finally scored in the 85th min which, again, didn't leave us very much time to come back. We came close a few times but just couldn't get the ball in the net. Again, although a narrower margin, we outshot them 12-10. So, once again, parents were needing oxygen and time to get our heart rates slowed down. See what I mean by an emotional roller coaster ride? I don't know if I can handle it! We didn't know what to expect last year so I guess we just enjoyed the ride but this year seems a lot different. Actually, truth be known, I don't know if Rob can handle it!!
The girls were disappointed with the loss, especially Kaylyn. She's always so hard on herself and thinks she let the team down. Remember Kaylyn, it's a TEAM sport and everyone has to do their part. Because of her knee injury, it's been hard for her to keep up her conditioning and the coach is easing her back into play. She just hasn't had the playing time that's needed to be on top of her game. But it will come and hopefully they will all keep their chins up and mentally, as well as physically, prepare for a very BIG game on Saturday against UPS.
On a brighter note, Lexi was cleared by the doc on Friday to resume playing soccer and is so excited to be back with her team. I asked her how practice was on Friday and she said, "IT WAS GREAT!!!" She also was asked to the Homecoming dance on Friday so she was flying high. Her next game is Wednesday against Central Valley at home.
And McKenna never thought she would celebrate a loss as much as they did on Saturday. They only lost 2-4!! Remember, they are playing 2 yrs. up and much bigger and stronger girls. But as you watch them play, you can see them improving and learning how to use their speed and agility to get around the larger girls. GO FIRECRACKERS!
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