A few details about the game:
* The line to get in took about 15 minutes... on a regular game night there are only about 40 people on our side of the stadium - pretty much just parents.
* The High School band came and played the Fight Song over and over and played (from the stands) at half-time. Kinda like a miniature football game :)
* It began to rain right before half and never let up. Lauren was hoping for rain - she loves playing in it.
* Our really great forward - Halle, who takes all the corner kicks - went down in the first half with a sprained ankle. Very swollen and very painful.
* Clovis North scored when the ball just slipped through our goalie's hands. She is an amazing goalie that has saved tons and tons of shots this year so I know it was heartbreaking for her - the ball was wet and slippery and it was a fluke. Down 1 - 0
* Halle had the trainer tape her up and she limped back in.
* Cami -the extraordinary player that I told Lauren to copy :) headed a corner into the back of the net in the 56th minute. It was beautiful - she actually directed it to exactly where the goalie was not. Tied 1- 1.
* Lauren's head/face collided with the head of a player from the other team. The other girl went down - and out of the game. Lauren walked it off - a little shakily.
* End of regulation. Pouring rain and the stands were still full.
* Lots of kids painted signs for the players. One of Lauren's had battery operated twinkle lights and another said Lauren O' Score 'n Get it... like O'Connell :)
* At this point the coach switched to 3 forwards and played just 3 defenders in the back - Lauren being one of them. I became a very nervous mama!!
* First of two ten minute overtimes - Scoreless. We have a few close shots but nothing goes in.
* Second of two ten minute overtimes - Scoreless. Girls have been playing for 100 minutes by now.
* First of two 5 minute sudden death overtimes ( After two of these it goes to Penalty Kicks...)
* The crowd is going crazy - cuz it's mostly High School boys - some with no shirts and their chest painted with FHS...
* 4 minutes in and we get a corner. Halle runs/limps to take it. It sails to the middle of the goal. Cami and the goalie battle for the ball. Cami gets her body on it and it is is INCHES away from crossing the goal line before a defender kicks it out of bounds. Another corner!!
* 4 1/2 minutes in and Halle runs/limps to the opposite side for the kick. Again, a beautiful kick to the middle of the box at about the 15 yard line. My girl jumps up, heads it toward the goal - I'm sure her eyes were shut since she doesn't quite direct the ball yet :) and it rockets into the top back corner!!
* Game over!! Pandemonium!
* Lauren has never played in a sudden death overtime. There are none in league play and none in her club play so far, so the ending of the game right at that moment was thrilling. The stands empty onto the field! The girls are mobbed and all the kids start singing We Are The Titans.
* I was so proud of her composure while being interviewed. She was very aware that after almost two hours of play in which the entire team did amazing things, she just happened to be the last person to touch the ball. She realized how fortunate she was to be in that position and she constantly reiterated that had Cami not scored that first goal then they never could have gotten into overtime. I was impressed with her thoughtfulness when answering. She's only 14 and I think I would have had a hard time not just blabbering when I was that age. Although she was bouncing up and down on her toes the entire time she was speaking :)
* Remember a few posts ago when I said that one of Lauren's big jobs on the field is to bulldoze the ball into the goal on free and corner kicks. Well, she has been in on each one this year and has put a total of 6 into the net. Apparently she has had some help with those 6 goals... I was standing nearby when the reporter asked her to describe the goal. She said, "Well, I pray before every corner and" He interrupted her and asked, a little incredulously, "You pray before every corner?" And she said, "Absolutely. And that one was a gift from God right there." My heart swelled at her strength in proclaiming her faith and I hoped he would put that in the paper. He did :)
* Before the game she said she wanted a win more for the 6 Seniors on the team than for herself. She loves them and will miss them next year!
* She is sooooo excited about the Valley Championship ring she gets. It's all the girls talked about after the game :) Totally girlie girls!!
* Last Monday (the holiday) Joey and Lauren spent at least an hour at the school practicing soccer - mostly headers :)
And now, because I know you want to see more...
The photographer who covered the game put this up on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYxR__UVhdE
I love the pictures of her STUNNED face after the goal.
And, finally... the price she paid for that ring she wants so badly:
She's not too happy about going to school looking like that :) But...
front page of the Sports Section makes it a little better!
1 comment:
What could possibly replace this post? I'd be happy to look at it for months. What a great experience for Lauren.
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