The difference between really hot water and boiling water can be as little as 1°F. At 211°F you have a pot of very, very hot water… and at 212°F you now have boiling water – ready for some pasta. Soccer can be a lot like that – the difference between a win and a loss, a good performance and a great one can be just 1°. On Sunday, the Crushers learned that lesson first-hand.
This past weekend, the Crushers had just one game, the first game of the regular season. They played the Burlington Huskies at the Burlington High School field. Burlington has a squad that matches up well with the Crushers and always gives us a tough game - win, lose or draw. They have speed, aggressiveness and skill. Our girls played well and had several excellent opportunities to score. Burlington also played a strong game and never gave up or wore down. Both teams pushed right to the last whistle. When it was over, the Crushers had lost 1-0 to a determined Burlington team.
Throughout the game (and for hours after) I couldn’t shake the feeling they were 1° away from winning. One stop, one through pass, one good run, one bounce, one strong shot, one more minute …. 1° away - and that made all the difference.
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The Crushers got the water really hot – but couldn’t get it to boil. We’ll be back to work this week at practice looking for that elusive 1°.
Fortunately, an undefeated season wasn’t on our goal list – winning the league title was. That just got a lot harder, and our fate is no longer solely in our hands. We’ll see if there’s a pasta party in our future.
