Sunday Rematch

If I cared enough about my amateur soccer leagues, Sunday's game was one that I would have circled on the calendar weeks ago. It was a rematch against the guy who had headbutted me, and the team that had beaten us pretty badly. With the field and weather conditions significantly better, we were confident that we could beat them this time around.

The game was pretty even from the start. I decided to play out wide on the left again, a position that I feel is better for me on a team that struggles to play through the midfield. The first half was full of opportunities, but we weren't able to put them away. Eventually, the other team broke the tie when they sent a ball over the top to a forward who calmly slotted it past our second-choice keeper. 1-0. Here we go again. With about fifteen minutes left, this was about the time we broke down. Coincidentally, this was also the time I was subbed out. After a clumsy tackle in the box, the opposition was awarded a penalty kick. This was getting bad. 

Luckily, the same fucker that headbutted me last game put the ball wide of the goal. There was hope still. Halftime. After the half, we came out a little stronger but still couldn't buy a goal. After many consecutive misses by our strikers, we finally caught a break. I collected the ball along the sideline. Seeing one of our forwards cutting across the middle, I sent a low line drive right to his feet. His first touch was good, and his second was a drop back to the other forward, who one-timed it back in his direction and past the defender. A first time shot found the back of the net and were suddenly tied, with the momentum in our favor.

After the tying goal, we were attacking pretty heavily. I place two corner kicks perfectly on the edge of the six-yard box, but to no avail. With minutes to go, I decided to take matters into my own hands. After finding lots of space in front of me, I took off down the sideline. As a defender approached about twenty yards out, I knocked it around him and ran on. Now I'm free in the eighteen, running onto the goal at a tight (but scorable) angle. As I approach the six-yard box, I know it's time. I unleash a shot with everything I've got. When I look up, I see the ball as it smashes into...a windshield in the parking lot. I blew it.

That was not the most significant of our misses in the last few minutes, but a miss nonetheless. The game closed out and we ended up tying. A big improvement from the 5-0 loss we suffered last time, but it was still a bitter ending. It was nice to get back out there after a few rain cancellations. A bye in the Wednesday league means next game is Thursday at 6:45pm. Catch you in the dome!