Tyra's first soccer game

Tyra had her first soccer game this past Thursday. Her team practiced biweekly, for the last two weeks, and they were excited for their first real chance to take the field. Tyra's team consists of 8-12 year olds, and she is one of the youngest and smallest on her team. She looks up to the older girls on the team because they are so much faster and stronger. It turns out that their first game gave everyone on the team a chance to feel small.

When we arrived, everyone was waiting for the previous game to finish. The parents started scoping out the opposition. There was another group of girls there, but they looked like a group of teenagers that would be playing in a different league. When the game was getting ready to start, it became clear that this was actually the team they were going to play. Many of us wondered if they actually were under 12, but when they all showed us their driver's licenses to prove their ages, all our fears were assuaged.

If you ever have wondered what would happen if David faced Goliath without God on his side, this was a good example. The first goal was scored in about thirty seconds. So was the second third and fourth. The other coach was a reasonable sport and pulled each player on the other team after they scored a goal. The main problem was that the smallest player on the opposing team was about the same size as the largest player on Tyra's team. Each of the opposing players was either very fast or very large. I would guess that about six of the other team players out weighed me. That is the adult ref in the all blue shirt.

As Tyra's little team tried to valiantly defend, players kept getting mowed down. One girl got kicked in the ankle. Another got ran over. Another successfully blocked a kick with her chest and got the wind knocked out of her. Our team bench began to feel like a hospital wing. When the call for subs came, the girls bravely agreed to reenter the fray. The poor goalie took the pounding of her life. Even when she managed to block to first couple of shots, they always seemed to score. It almost looked like dodgeball, when the team mercifully scored after a little kicking practice against the goalie.

In the second half, the other coach forbid everyone except his three worst players from crossing the midfield line. This put an end to the scoring free for all as Tyra's entire team seemed to be able to handle the three remaining players. Of course, whenever Tyra's team recovered the ball they headed down field to what they affectionately referred to after the fact as "The Wall".

"The Wall" functioned exactly as the name would imply. Tyra's team never got very far past the midfield line before they were completely overwhelmed. "The Wall" was getting bored and kept cat-calling their coach to let them cross the line. He refused. One of the players pounded a kick from just over the midfield line and it soared through the air into the net. Goal. Their coach was livid and pulled the girl for the remainder of the game.

The game finally came to an end. I don't know what the final score was. No one was really interested. The teams wished each other well and we were off. When Tyra complained about how the game went, I told her that she probably had more fun than at least on person on the other team. Who? "The goalie. She just stood in the sun for an hour." "Dad!"