Youth Soccer Hell

I would like to report that our soccer game this weekend went well, but I can't.  Oh, it wasn't because we were outclassed... not at all.  As a matter of fact, the team that we played has posted two straight losses in the first two weeks of the fall season. 

Naturally, the expectation was there that we should have handled them easily. We should have... but there were a few factors that caused things to be a little... different. 

The first factor was this: *D*, our main goalkeeper wasn't going to be at the game, as she would be attending the Quintenerra of a friend.  No worries on that score, as my own willing and able Soccergirl, was prepared to step into the breach and start (*for the first time*) in the goal.

 The second factor was that our assistant coach,* R,* wasn't going to be there, since he had to coach his other child's game at the same time, which was being played on a different field, at a different location.

The third factor was weather. It started to rain 20 minutes before our game, and as soon as the game started, it began to rain like hell.

The fourth, and worst factorwas that without coach *R*, some of the girls are... not as sharp as they should be. The result of all of this was a 2-2 tie. 

I know, a tie isn't a loss... but having a tie with this team is as good as a loss. Our team was contact averse, the forwards stood around and waited to be annointed with perfect set-ups for shots on-goal; the defenders stood around and allowed our goalie to have to face a two on one situation more than once (*only resulting in one goal for them*); and our goalie making a crucial mistake on a goal kick in the last eight or ten minutes of the game.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the kid who had FOUR fouls for not keeping her feet on the ground during a throw-in. Oh, and the one who doesn't like wearing her glasses when it rains, so she took them off and was then unable to kick the ball worth a crap because she couldn't see it!  Oh, Coach Gunfighter (who isn't coaching this season) wasn't happy.  I was satisfied with how Soccergirl played, even with the one costly mistake she made... considering that this was her first start, and was playing in the rain, she did well. She stopped about 7 shots on-goal, and only allowed 2.

I'm looking forward to a better result next week.