So, the first half of the soccer season is over. Ten games, eight wins, and two goals by yours truly. Despite being the oldest player on the team, I started all ten games, and even played four complete ones. Due to our attackers being very strong and the defender behind me usually being somewhat on the slower side, I spent most of my time shoring up the defense rather than getting forward, but I think the results speak for themselves.
I’m not bothered by the relative lack of goals. I know I can still score – I had four out of eleven in the final practice – but that’s not what my role on the team presently requires. The wing’s primary responsibility is to a) get the ball to the attackers in a scoring position, b) shore up the defense, and c) link the defense with the offense. But since The Magician can score from literally anywhere on the opponent’s side of the field – the center circle, the left corner, the right corner, it simply doesn’t matter – and three of our four attackers are serious threats to break past the defense and score at any time, it’s much more important to make sure that my side – usually the right – isn’t overrun on the counterattack.
We weren’t completely impermeable, but we only allowed two goals down our side in the ten games, both by Red/Black, the top team in the league, in their 6-3 win over us. We should have won our other loss, a freak 2-1 defeat which featured an uncharacteristic keeper’s error and a needless penalty, but we bounced back very strong in the final game with a dominating 4-1 victory over the defending champions.
So, now it’s time to heal up, keep stretching, and get back to the weights and the high-intensity circuits in preparation for the spring!
It was also great to see Ender get his first goal in the field, a beautiful, deliberate shot from 20 meters, just outside the box, following a nice cross from the other wing. His team started the first half of the season poorly, but they finished strong to finish the first half in fourth place.