First, we woke up for a delicious breakfast around 8:00am. Soon after that we all started to get ready for our 2:00pm game against Hawaii Rush Nike. We had to gather our things and gear to leave around 10:30 because the traffic was so bad. Normally it would only take 45 minutes but traffic made it difficult to arrive in less than 1 1/2 hours. When we finally reached the fields, we all put our gear on and got ready to warm up. Warm up took 40 minutes, but it didn’t feel like we were focused on the game. When the game was close to starting, we had to do the international walkout. The whistle blew and we got a rude awakening. We all weren’t focused on our tasks and we panicked. We became very negative towards each other. As the half went on, the score remained 0-0. At halftime, we all realized it is now or never, and we have to leave everything on the field. Kris and Luis were frustrated, but gave us advice on how be more effective and finish the game. When the second half started, we came out relaxed and gave 110%. In around 10 minutes, the goalie came off her line, and Madison Williams chipped up and over the keepers head, and into the goal! We celebrated as a team, and quickly returned to our positions. We continued to penetrate and pressure the goal. This paid off when Sophie Smith scored around 5 minutes after Madison Williams did. She scored by receiving a pass from Jaelin Howell at about the 18, curving a pass around the keeper and into the goal. We continued to keep up the high pressure and they did as well. However, Rush Nike never successfully made a comeback. Finally, the whistle blew, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. We had reached our goal and were happy with the results, but were not happy with the way we played. Soon after, we drove home and picked up ice for ice baths. Ice baths provided 15 minutes of relief for our muscles. Then, we swam in the ocean behind our beach house wearing our “completely stylish” water shoes. After we finished swimming, we took showers and cleaned our battle wounds up. We were all exhausted and ready to enjoy a home cooked meal. After dinner, everyone was happy and full, and ready to rest for our last pool play game.
Monique Roche/ Jade Gosar/ Taylor Bee
Fort Collins Soccer Club / Arsenal Colorado 