The Crushers went to Amherst, NH for a soccer tournament over Memorial Day weekend. Since there weren’t enough teams for a U13A bracket, the girls played up an age in the U14B brackets. Playing teams older than you poses some intriguing challenges. Games will likely be very physical and the opponents will probably be bigger and/or faster than you. These types of challenges can make or break a team and with league and Cup play winding down it was time to see what the team was made of.
The first game vs. Oyster River Academy of Rhode Island was at 8 AM Saturday on a rain slicked field at Souhegan High School. The first 15 minutes were pretty ugly for the Crushers. They seemed to struggle to get a solid foot on the ball and spent most of their time chasing Oyster River players around the field. Oyster got out to an early lead on a volley off a deflection that found the far upper corner of the goal. The team finally shook off the cobwebs and morning rain and started to formulate an answer to the early goal. Overall play for the Crushers seemed to improve as they got their legs under them even more in the second half. On a direct kick, they scored the equalizer … it was now 1-1 with little time remaining. The team pushed hard to tally another goal but it wasn’t to be. They had to settle for a 1-1 draw (a draw that would come back to haunt them, but more on that later…). It was a tough, very physical game with both teams sustaining some injuries. Just a few hours to ice up for the next match though…
In their second game they played Summit FC of Vermont. By this time the rain had cleared and the arrival of some sun seemed to rejuvenate the Crushers. They played a strong game and had several scoring opportunities but couldn’t convert any of them. They held Summit to just 5 shots and no goals. A 0-0 result seemed harsh but that was the final. Second game, second draw… and this one really stung. The Crushers were clearly the better team but in the end the scoreboard showed the teams as level.
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On Sunday the Crushers had a final game vs. Warren YSA of New Hampshire. They had to win to advance to the playoff rounds… but because they had 2 draws on Saturday, they needed some help to get into the “knock-out” round. The worst thing in any sport is when you no longer hold your fate in your own hands and need to rely on another teams’ performance to help you out. As it happened, the game that would affect their playoff status was being played on the field right before their game with Warren YSA so the team would know their fate before their game even started. If Oyster Academy tied or lost, the Crushers could make it to the knock out round but if Oyster won, the Crushers would be eliminated from the playoff rounds. Oyster won 3-0 in a game that was never in doubt.
This put the Crushers in an interesting position, the girls knew they were out of the playoff before their own game even started… it would have been easy, even understandable for them to play an uninspired, lackluster game knowing this was it for them. Their performance in the game was a credit to the character of the team. They refused to lose. It wasn’t their best performance of the year, a bit uneven – especially in the second half, but they came away with a 1-0 victory and held their heads high as they walked off the field.
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Over the course of 3 games against those U14 teams they allowed just one goal....that's pretty impressive. The bad news... they only scored 2... So with a 1-0 win, a 0-0 draw and a 1-1 draw.... 5 points was not enough to get into the playoff pool. Overall the team played well against older, bigger opponents. They created many opportunities – they out-shot every opponent - just not enough venom on many of the shots.
Tournaments like this give the team a lot of time off the field to bond and just be kids for a while. I cannot stress the value of that experience for everyone, including the families. Despite not winning their bracket, the tournament was a resounding success on so many levels. The team continues to grow each week and I couldn’t be prouder of them at this point in the season.
Next weekend brings the next round of the Cup vs. Cromwell - a very tough, skilled team. One game at a time…one play at a time, the team has prepared for their latest challenge and on this coming Saturday they will face the next obstacle on their quest for the Cup. Game on!
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”― Helen Keller
