U-Turn

What a week it's been. As I type this, I'm watching Chelsea take on West Ham(they unfortunately drew) this morning reflecting on one of the most intense weeks this month. Here we go. Most of the week went as normal. Mia dragging herself to school etc etc. My day off on Thursday can go down as the worst one this year. The morning started out with a torrential downpour. Great. I monitored the rain most the day till it about stopped. I knew the fields would be pretty rough, and the mosquito's this week were absolutely terrible so the added rain would only make things worse, so unfortunately I had to cancel. My DJI Spark drone FINALLY arrived so I was stoked to get to play with that and teach myself how to fly it.

Later in the morning I had a vet appt with Remi. Just a normal update on some shots. On our drive back home, I got in my first car accident. A short woman driving a large semi-truck tried to pull a U-turn and clipped the back end of my Corolla. Remi got tossed to the ground but somehow we survived. The woman claimed she never saw me and thought maybe I was speeding. No, I wasn't speeding. The fact that you tried to do a U-turn with a semi truck into traffic probably wasn't the smartest idea. My tail light is busted (but still works) and I have  gnarly dent with a scrape on the side of my sad Toyota. When I got home, still shook up, I had to call insurance, Jill and as well as talk to a specialist about getting my claim taken care of. Can't believe I got hit. Luckily my car is still drivable but I hope to get it fixed when I can. After school I did an art lesson with one of my students. She was struggling a bit with a horse sketch that she was giving as a gift so Mia and I after school went over and I helped her our. Mia drew a picture of her dog Elsa. Later, we did Stonefire Pizza with Jill since we didn't have practice.

Saturday was the big game. Our 3rd game of the season. It was a day we really really needed to improve in skills and win. I requested all of the kids arrive early so we could get in a last minute practice before kickoff since ours was cancelled this week. We started out with running drills, some 1v1 and finally I introduced a new formation. This would debut having RW and LW (or right wing/left wing) on each side of the striker, with a holding center back. The goal was to keep them spaced out. Makes sense right? Opening few minutes, they were starting to bunch up. Come on guys...Early in the half, we scored! I can't remember who got the first one, but the bench and fans went crazy. We haven't had a lead yet this season so it was awesome. Next thing I know, Olivia scored not one but TWO goals. She was in pure shock that her face was grinning from ear to ear. Even Ainslee, who's found the net a few times proudly amped her up with a big hug. Sofia was solid in the back with the keeper without much worry. Cecilia had an incredible 1st half in the back and never let her down. Ainslee found the net before the 1st half concluded. 2nd half, we switched keepers. Ainslee was eager to take on her favorite position and I was excited to see how Sofia would do this half on the field. Just like I hoped, she got a goal. Perfect throw in to her, she spun it around and shot it that went off one of the other player's back and over the short keeper's shoulder. Amazing!

Sophie would also find the net for the very first time as well. She's always been a one-to-watch for me. She's very quick and has a good understanding where to be on the pitch. She can dribble around people like Adalyn so it was only a matter of time before she got her first goal. One of the other shocking goals besides Olivia's double goals was Charley. She was playing in only her 2nd game ever and found the net for the first time. She was so excited. One of the most enjoyable moments of the 2nd half was watching Ainslee dive and roll after every single ball. Her parents told me earlier in the season that she watches a lot of Hope Solo videos (the USWNT goalie) for inspiration. You can tell she loves the position and just like Sophie, she had a cleat sheet as well. The final score was a commanding 8-0. The girls were SO excited that they finally won a game. They were communicating well and passing better. Mia was both excited and bummed. She was stoked she won but still couldn't get a goal. one of the hardest part of being coach in general, is that every single person wants to play. No one wanted to go out ever. Cecilia was even giving her Dad a bit of attitude that she had to sit out to give Jana a chance in the defense. She also really did well both in the back and on the wing. After the match concluded, the girls tackled each other in a big massive team hug. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen as a coach and as a parent. So much excitement from these kids. Everyone happy and stoked for their next game. I'm also glad my parent supporters were patient with these girls and I knew eventually, we could turn this team around and start getting some goals. I was pretty happy that one of my students and her Mom came to cheer us on as well. The rest of the day, we hung out, hand lunch and cleaned the house in preparation for the upcoming weekend with Jill's friends.

 Hopefully my car gets fixed this week and after the game/picture day, we're going to the Elegant Farmer with Jill's crew. Should be a busy but fun weekend. That's all for now, thanks for reading!!