Savannah

Today Shocker Nation descends on Savannah for the Shamrock Celtic Cup.

We appear to have a very good draw for our match schedule.

We need to rally to our Keeper more than ever.

Let’s show everyone we Want The Ball!

Coach Brian

coaching citizens

Hannah is probably aware that she has a family at large in Shocker Nation. In fact, in so many ways, she represents and reflects the core philosophy of why I coach, and what we have accomplished as a team over the past three years.

The truth is Hannah is often silly and goofy. But, we have always been the underdogs. No one player is especially gifted, nor a complete soccer player. However, as a unit, we find ways to win more often than not (and I don’t mean simply winning matches – I mean growing as citizens). Young ladies with confidence that will always find a way to contribute.

That is, forever in my mind and heart, Shocker Ball.

Cork

On May 19, 2009, at 10:49 PM, Holli-Marie Taylor wrote:

“Brian,

I haven’t responded before now because I was waiting for confirmation from Hannah that her dad is going to let her go this weekend and that he is going to take her to practice on Wednesday. I can see from his reply that she is indeed going this weekend – if only for moral support and to be with the team. I have yet to find out about practice.

I am quite satisfied with your explanation behind your thought process concerning Hannah’s safety. Indeed, I applaud it – but it came on unexpectedly and I wasn’t prepared. I hope that you will understand the thought process behind my response. She loves playing soccer – and loves playing Shocker ball. She will be back in the fall. And I hope to get her into a camp this summer, if I can work the logistics/scheduling – I don’t have her much during the summer.

Thanks for being a dedicated coach and a man of integrity.

.holli-marie”

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inspiration

“Victory is when your heart changes” – Nick Vujicic

The word “victory” will never mean quite the same to me having seen this video.

Coach Brian

National U14 Ranking

Congratulations Shocker Nation.

We are now a ranked team. This is a major milestone, and quite an accomplishment.

Nationally:       777
Regionally:      288
State:                  57

Our goal must now be to improve that ranking.

This is a reasonable and productive objective, and can be accomplished through the pending State Cup Championships and Savannah Shamrock Celtic Cup.

Coach Brian

Shocker Nation Notes

Shocker Nation:

Please consider showing the video below to your daughters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6MhAwQ64c0

I know the people at GrassHopper. They tell me that much of the video was inspired by many elements of my own background. I honestly think the future of this nation will be in the hands of entrepreneurs. This is how I want my own Haley Anne to see the world. And, perhaps more importantly, relative to these “Shocker days”, it maintains our theme of establishing goals with the notion we can achieve any thing we are willing to strive for.

Meanwhile…

We have matches Tuesday against Dawsonville and Thursday against John Creek. We are doing this to maintain both an edge and “game fitness”. However, Johns Creek is going to be VERY tough.  We are also going to try to add a dimension to our game that includes kick-backs. We will need this ability at State Cup to open up the field for fast-breaks. Jessica and AC, in particular, will play a vital role in partnering with our Midfielders to make this work.

I suspect this season has taxed our families. However, I’ll not apologize because I would submit to you that these days will set the stage and prove pivotal in our Shockers development as citizens.

Patty and Andy Wojcik have secured rooms for State Cup this weekend in Columbus, Georgia. We need to be VERY methodical and make sure we coordinate getting players over to Columbus, and ready. I believe getting to Columbus is approximately a three hour drive. Lets try to be there Friday night so we can have a meeting and team dinner. If you can’t get there until Saturday morning please let me and Patty know ASAP.

Food for thought…

I focused less on highlights, and more on the experience of the District Cup on our team Blogsite. You can see that summary at: https://shockers.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/2009-district-cup/

The District Cup was a fantastic experience that now makes our Shockers seasoned.

I am sure everyone understands what a remarkable feat it was for those kids to fight their way into that Finals match. It required integrity, luck, grit (we were down in two matches, and had to fight back both times), and not losing (in our second match with Hotshots) – which is a unique element to soccer internationally. We saw some of our best passing. Hannah D also learned the hard way why coming out of the goal FAST is crucial.

I am reasonably certain our Shockers were emotionally spent by the Cup Final.

We saw this two years ago, when another young (and newly formed) Shocker team had to fight their way through rival (and more mature) ASA Crush to make the finals of the Fall Lanier Cup. We finished runner up to Dacula mostly because we were simply drained emotionally. That following Spring we balanced ourselves, and won the prestigious Extreme Cup in the Spring. So, we have a history of forming Cup quality teams and getting to the Finals.

In any event, it can be argued that our shockers played one of their better matches in the Final. But, I feel they played one of their best matches ever Sunday morning. Getting into a finals takes a tremendous toll emotionally as well as physically. So, we need to think through how we rest and feed the team this coming weekend (and, possibly more importantly, in Savannah where I think we can take a Cup).

Bottom-line: We must always prepare to wage an entire campaign, as opposed to a series of skirmishes.

Stick with me Shockers. We have our best days ahead off us.

Please be at Central Park Field #3 for tomorrow’s match against Dawsonville no later than 6:45pm.

Coach Brian

2009 District Cup

My mind whirls with thoughts and emotions around this past weekend and the 2009 District Cup.

Bottom Row: Jessica Curtis, Lindsay Wojcik, Christy Tovar, Mallory Charlton, Sarah Bowers, Hannah Erger, AC Anderson,KCLowenthal Back Row: Coach Brian Patrick Cork, Grace Guthrie, Claire Guthrie, Mars Twitchell, Michelle Higgins, Haley Anne Cork, Emily Dwane, Hannah Derezinski, Coach Chris Tovar

I’ll not detail each match because they have combined to make for a powerful and dramatic total experience for our Shockers.

Every moment was, in itself, a highlight.

I believe we emerged with vital lessons learned about establishing goals and working hard to achieve them. Playing with the highest levels of integrity, and digging deep into tired bodies for that final surge of strength needed to hold their heads high.

We did, however, literally, begin on the right foot…

We had an opportunity to force GSA Sparks into a forfeit for our first match of the tournament Saturday. We would simply have none of that. This gave us an opportunity to tell our Shockers this was a clear indication of the faith we have in them. We earn our victories. The Shockers responded with a decisive 4 to 0 victory that quickly separated them from many of the finest teams to represent the region.

Ultimately, those four goals earned us vital tie-breaker points that made the difference, and gave us a a shot at AFCU Bengals for the District Cup Finals.

We played with the highest levels of integrity, and we earned medals as a glittering reminder of what happens when we Control, Charge and Protect.

An enduring image of the District Cup will be our Keeper, Hannah Derezinski, crumpled in a painful heap, having gone to the ground for a ball defending her goal.

Another was the look on the faces of Shocker Nation as they burst into cheers, en masse, with the news that our Shockers (Mighty Tigers all) had fought their way into the District Cup Finals – earning a trip to the Georgia State Cup Championships next week in Columbus, Georgia.

Certainly, there was drama; stories of sizzling shots, courage in the middle, brilliant passes, cries of rage and defiance. There was also sweat – and, oh yes, blood. Tears abounded. We had moments where we hung our heads – but, some how prevailed.

As I wrap up this post, I am thinking of Claire Guthrie. We made a deal; and, she kept her end of the bargain. She also reminded me that I had promised Grace I would take them to State if they would trust me.

I told her that I always keep my word.

I am not sure what I read in her eyes at that moment. But, maybe one day I might find that sort of covenant made a difference in her life. In my heart, winning matches and cups aside, I know that is what coaching, and being a Dad, is all about.

Coach Brian

Indeed, we are Shockers

Surely, given our collective experiences, we recognize that change and growth can come unexpectedly. We believe we are faced with a bad situation. Then suddenly, sequential events create a positive, if not dramatic, result.

We saw that very scenario unfold over the past three weeks with our Shockers.

Beginning with our first match with Storm, we saw Shockers appear to lose vital focus, and they began, to my dismay, to bicker amongst themselves. We subsequently suffered a 2 to 1 loss that appeared to be the result of our own flat and uninspired play – and, an own goal.

Losing is, in many respects, a vital part of the beautiful game. However, integrity and character must separate themselves from errantly bouncing balls.

Shocker ball found itself deflated.

We rallied the following week against NSA Revolution with a decisive 5 to 0 victory.

Oddly, our players became tentative at practice, and confidence appeared to be eroding. Certainly we had two diverse cultures that had only recently converged. Some of the younger players had been with me for several years, and knew little else than a history of winning and a dramatic Cup victory. However, much of this hardy squad had suffered through uninspired leadership and two losing seasons at ASA, and might have begun to feel their current campaign was a fluke.

We then met a surging Fusion Fury that severely tested us even though we pulled away with a 4 to 1 victory, and a Christy Tovar hat-trick.

Yet, there was, again, mounting dissent.

All of this came to a horrific head last weekend when we simply fell apart against an admittedly well-coached and inspired NSA Magic. As I relayed in a prior post: Match #9: Lessons Learned, we suffered poor sportsmanship, a veritable melt-down, and a crisis of confidence that saw us shut-out 1 to 0; and a lost opportunity for the league title.

That was bad. But, what happened next was good. The real story, was the realization of a different kind of magic.

By Monday it was evident our Shockers not only did not like losing, they were deeply offended by how they suddenly saw themselves being reflected. Facebook connections and texting proliferated. Leaders and leadership were manifested in unexpected ways. Sophomoric philosophy was born and realized. Most importantly, only one side was ultimately taken – and, that was one Shocker simply united for the other.

My dramatic prose aside, the girls did not like they way they felt. They were quickly realizing it was more fun to care about and support one another. Unexpected allies reinforced the notion that sticking together and saying good things about people was satisfying. Almost as one, each of them concluded in a fury of electronic exchanges that they cared about one another (articulated only in the manner that adolescent girls can in their modern techspeak). Esprit de Corps is time-honored, and builds it’s own mystical momentum. And, we saw that energize our shockers.

Let me be all the more clear: They, as a group, saw a wrong, came to a consensus, and solved the problem with decisiveness and emerging maturity.

The best possible test of this was realized Tuesday when we met Fusion Storm for the second time. What should have (or, maybe only could have) been the match to decide league champions, the Shockers would be playing for the point of pride.

Having sorted themselves out, they were (as always) the first team on the pitch warming up. We were loose and comraderie filled the air. A small group had pulled our Keeper, Hanna D, aside and were warming her up (both with support and in fact).

I had them form a circle around me. There was no pressure. I asked them to look left then right at the players and teammates around them – and, to consider playing for those citizens and not themselves. They did giggle (they will always have that element of silly little kittens). However, that passed quickly when I reminded them that we had met one of our primary goals of the Spring – a winning season; and no one could take that away from them. The next objective was our secondary, and a stated goal, of making it to State Cup. I also explained that they were now a tournament team, going into District Cup, to take on the entire state of Georgia’s finest soccer teams – as underdogs.

That got their collective attention. There was our truest bonding agent. A renewed cause celebre and our raison d’etre.

I have already recounted the tale of our victory over Storm with Match #10: Finishing Well. As a father and coach, winning in the manner our fearsome Shockers did Tuesday night was damn satisfying.

We had overcome angst and self-doubt. We then met questionable referees, and a Storm coach that, amazingly, felt compelled to stack his team against us with guest players.

Before the kick-off I thumped my chest and bellowed:

Ladies… This fateful day – are we silly little kittens or Mighty Tigers all?

Without hesitation they responded with firm conviction:

MIGHTY TIGERS!

There were “cat calls” from the Storm bench. However, those were quickly silenced after a quick melee at midfield followed by a fast break on the Storm goal.

Perhaps the best part of the match for me was half time. The team came off the pitch united by fury; their eyes blazing. They were incensed by ref calls, and the unfortunate lack of sportsmanship by Storm. However, Chris and I recognized that as Tiger Food.

As the center ref blew her (over used) whistle to end the match, our Shockers found one another and joined their coaches with less celebration, and so much more grim satisfaction. They, each one of them, knew they had played a great match; and, it was best savoured as a team.

That is, and always will be, Shocker Ball.

See everyone tomorrow outside of Stone Mountain (or,will certainly feel you). No matter how that wily ball bounces, it’s always a beautiful game – and all the more because we are, indeed Shocker Nation.

Coach Brian

Match #10: Finishing Well

It always feels good to win.

However, last night match against Fusion Storm may have been one of our most balanced efforts to date.

The difference in our play from this past weekend was simply that of night-and-day.

Our defense lived up to its vaunted reputation, but this time was actually led by our Keeper Hannah Derezinski, who earned her clean sheet (shut out) with no less than four big saves. She took a lot of heat with Storm who took advantage of some breakdowns in the middle. However, she came out of the goal twice, and added two booming punts for good measure – one of which we converted into a brilliant fast break that resulted in right-side Stryker Sarah Bowers taking a dramatic shot on goal. All four of our defenders contributed evenly, and appeared to be communicating well. AC Anderson took yet another fast break up the left sideline with great conviction. She now has “clearance to go” if she sees an opportunity. It’s only a matter of time before she finishes with a goal. Haley Anne Cork played one of her best heads-up matches diffusing several Storm attacks – often appearing, seemingly, out of nowhere to knock a ball out of play and confounding opponents. Claire Guthrie has become as reliable as the setting sun. She stands her ground against on-coming Strykers, and will likely strip them of the ball; and, has developed a knack for transitioning the ball nicely back upfield to set up her Strykers. Jessica Curtis evidences great athleticism by relentlessly pounding the ball back up the pipe and frustrating hapless adversaries. NOTE: Last night we tried something different and asked (well… ordered) Jessica to stay on the defensive end of the midline. We recognize that Jessica chomps at the bit to leverage her speed and endurance all over the field. However, her primary roll was to stop any fast break at the midline (we control the midfield), and give her teammates time to form up. And, that worked quite well.

We found ourselves fielding only just enough players with one sub. However, this gave our indomitable Hannah Erger an opportunity to play her first complete match of the season. And, she stepped up, fighting for every ball on the right-side, and contributing to the offensive game with some well-timed and crucial short passes. KC Lowenthal has a knack for footwork that creates opportunities for her Captain Mars Twitchell. KC is unselfish when it comes to clean passes that have more often than not allowed our offense to lead the entire league in scoring. For the rest of my days, when I look back and ponder “silly little kittens” or “mighty tigers”, I will always have KC foremost in my mind. She turns it “on” for every match (whether she stayed up until 4am the night before or not). Grace Guthrie is currently an enigma. She will chug back-and-forth like an ever-ready rabbit dutifully chasing the ball. Then, once you yell at her (better yet – make eye contact) and tell her she needs to stop chasing the ball, and go after the ball (there is, apparently, a difference), she becomes a spark. Sure enough, in the last 20 minutes she showed up and transitioned the ball three times that had coach Chris and me producing sighs of heart-felt relief.

Christy Tovar offered up a blistering shot from thirty meters out in the first half that almost collapsed the goal rigging. Unfortunately, an inexperienced ref called her offsides and negated the goal. Nonetheless, our Strykers put even pressure on Storms defense all evening. We likely had as many as ten solid shots on goal. Mars had one of her best crossing days yet. And, her corner kicks give us more and more options. Once again, it was Mars, our faithful Captain that found a way to score and broke the Storm early in the second half. Sarah Bowers now adds a new dimension to our attack with speed that almost equals that of AC Anderson, and a good sense of where to position herself (she needs to remember to shoot around the goalie – as opposed to passing to the goalie). The result is three very strong scoring candidates up top with a formidable bench of ball-handlers in reserve for looming tournaments.

The only thing that bothers me about last nights (at least in terms of Shocker ball) match is Emily Dwane. I neglected her minutes. However, that will be rectified come tournament time. She is working hard and improving every week. And, her team spirit is nothing less than clearly evident.

Shockers 1 vs. Storm 0.

We have realized a milestone by accomplishing a winning season with a very respectable regular season record of 7 -3. Storm will end the season at the top of our league. However, our Shockers demonstrated why we lead the league in scoring, and, represented themselves as the better team both in determination, as well as character.

So, we head to District Cup this weekend in good form, and with momentum.

Look for another post “Indeed, we are Shockers”, from me soon positing our Shockers recent growth as citizens (and certainly, Mighty Tigers) and a team.

Coach Brian

Match #9: Lessons Learned

I can begin this post regarding yesterday’s match against NSA Magic with some highlights…

Our defensive unit was solid. AC Anderson had a brilliant fast break the entire length of the pitch – and, darn near scored. Ironically our Strykers were off-sides and diffused the play. But, that was a ‘shocking’ reminder of AC’s blistering speed, and something we need to capitalize on more often. Haley Anne Cork probably saved three goals with two headers and a desperate dash across the box to block a strong shot from a magic Forward. In the second half, Christy Tovar put on one brilliant display of footwork after another, battling her way up the pipe. Sarah Bowers dug deep and gave it her best playing the awkward left-side Stryker position, almost managing a shot that missed the net by an inch at best. Jessica Curtis was simply everywhere. Even though that might actually be a problem, we could not question her fierce desire and will.

But…

We have the highest scoring offense in the league. We put far more shots on goal during the first half – yet we put no balls in the net.

In fact, the only score in the entire grueling defensive struggle was offered up by our Keeper when she fumbled the ball right into her own goal. A lack of concentration and fundamentals aside, that goal did not lose the match, and a shot at the league title, for us…

We lost our match to Magic yesterday because we left more than blood and sweat on that Pickneyville Filed #4; we punted our Esprit de Corps.

Shockers 0 and NSA Magic 1.

I can take losing any day as long as everyone walks off the pitch with heads high, and feeling we all did our collective best. However, I was decidedly dejected after yesterday because I felt I let our team down. I am not wired to shrug these things off as simple games. I feel every practice and every match is a vital test of character, desire and a lesson waiting to be learned.

It’s not every day a coach must admit he lost a match for his team.

This current Shocker squad shares something special with teams of the past (and, I pray the future). We can and do win as a team – and a team that genuinely cares about one another and believes in one another. We do have some very good athletes. However, it will ALWAYS be heart that puts a team either over the top, or, drops them to the bottom.

Our own goal took the wind right out of us. We soldiered on, but with heads down.

We had a meltdown at half time where a player (actually two players) essentially refused to play a position. This created consternation in the ranks and ignited bickering that carried right over to the pitch. We went into the match Sunday with a clear game plan with contingencies that went out the window. My gut tells me had we stuck with the plan that simply involved “hot-swapping” three key offensive players, we likely would have had more activity up top.

I may have been flustered myself because I expect the girls to trust me, and to do what ever I ask. The typical result is our own kind of magic. I realize this is my ego – possibly misplaced self-esteem.

I must submit to everyone that my heart was broken by what happened both on the pitch and amongst our players.

So, perhaps mine has to be the greatest, if not most important lesson (I just need to understand what it is).

Mind you… If the ball bounces the right way against Storm; and, if Lightning beats Magic next week, the league standing make another dramatic shift.

But, suddenly that matters less. As I work my way through this post, my resolve to return to basics is working in the back of my head. We are going to invoke some significant changes in our line-up for tomorrow nights match against Fusion Storm. I understand this is going to make for a handful of ‘sad little kittens’. This team has two, and possibly three tournaments yet to play this season. We formed ourselves this year with the strategic purpose of being a tournament squad. We have a winning regular season under our collective belts no matter what happens tomorrow night. More importantly, beginning this weekend at District Cup we have a chance to turn ourselves around.

In speaking with Bob Twitchell today it occurred to me that we are now the underdogs going into the District Cup. We will find ourselves with a tough seed and surrounded by other teams that will view us as weaker. This is our best opportunity to dig in and remember that we are Shockers.

In my heart I feel that losing yesterday’s match might end up being a good thing. We probably can’t be that ‘Cinderella’ team that goes from worst to first, and wins that storybook league title. However, we can be that team that makes the critical decision to reunite ourselves around a renewed sense of purpose. A raison d’etre (if I misspelled that, feel free to correct me) if you will.

I ask our shocker parents to pull their player aside and ask the simple question:

“Can they play for their teammates – and not themselves.”

Tuesday (or Thursday depending on weather) night I am going to ask them to look at the player to their right and left and commit themselves to that person – and, to me.

Every practice and every match this month of May must be ever greater evidence that we Want The Ball, and we are a team.

So… The regular season ends tomorrow night – and, our best challenge as a team begins Thursday and Saturday morning when we take it to the State of Georgia where we hope to realize our team goal of reaching State Cup.

Coach Brian

Underdogs

So…

If Facebook exchanges, texting and parent telephone calls are an indication, our Shockers have realized their own pain, and are quickly rallying themselves.

Can this signal and set the stage for their best days of the season – and, perhaps their finest hours as citizens?

We have a winning season behind us. No one can take that from a team that learned how to be winners and are learning how to grow through adversity. The looming District Cup represents nothing less than a splendid opportunity to make themselves proud and take on the entire state of Georgia as underdogs.

The New Yorker is always sort of hit and miss, for me, and the less said about some of their content the better, but every once in a while an article comes along that reminds me why I bother to read the thing in the first place.

Malcolm Gladwell’s recent piece on the phenomenon of underdogs beating superior foes is an engrossing and varied look at a subject that should be dear to anyone’s heart. His analysis is astute and inspiring, but also a tad provocative: underdogs frequently win, he says, and would win more, too, if only they knew how likely their victory actually was:

“David’s victory over Goliath, in the Biblical account, is held to be an anomaly. It was not. Davids win all the time. The political scientist Ivan Arreguín-Toft recently looked at every war fought in the past two hundred years between strong and weak combatants. The Goliaths, he found, won in 71.5 per cent of the cases. That is a remarkable fact. Arreguín-Toft was analyzing conflicts in which one side was at least ten times as powerful—in terms of armed might and population—as its opponent, and even in those lopsided contests the underdog won almost a third of the time.”

In the Biblical story of David and Goliath, David initially put on a coat of mail and a brass helmet and girded himself with a sword: he prepared to wage a conventional battle of swords against Goliath. But then he stopped. “I cannot walk in these, for I am unused to it,” he said (in Robert Alter’s translation), and picked up those five smooth stones. What happened, Arreguín-Toft wondered, when the underdogs likewise acknowledged their weakness and chose an unconventional strategy? He went back and re-analyzed his data. In those cases, David’s winning percentage went from 28.5 to 63.6. When underdogs choose not to play by Goliath’s rules, they win, Arreguín-Toft concluded, “even when everything we think we know about power says they shouldn’t.”

[…]

Drawing on subjects as various as T.E. Lawrence and a pre-teen girls’ basketball team, he offers up several illustrations of the general principle of efforttrumping ability so long as that effort is being expended furiously and immediately. The example of the full-court press is frequently returned to, and he makes a number of good points about the importance of turning the tables on one’s more powerful opponent at once and forever rather than waiting for him to make the first move and establish the ground rules of the conflict. This naturally bears upon questions of insurgency (which he touches upon), but even if he were only writing about the girls and their ruthless program of basketball supremacy it would be worth reading.

I am not familiar with Mr. Gladwell’s work elsewhere (though he seems quite popular, judging by what I’ve seen in the stores), but this, at least, is certainly worth your time. We should exercise caution in taking these ideas as a solid ethical metric, for to do so would be to flirt with consequentialism, but there is much here that is of value for those engrossed in the dynamics of human competition.

Coach Brian

Match #8: The psychology of victory

It struck me around the 30th minute in the first half of today’s match against Fusion Fury that the psychology of “the beautiful game” is as important as training and preparation.

Possibly the difference between coaching and a careful hand on a shoulder. Perhaps it’s all the same. But, each player is different – and, so is how they relate to one another, and how they approach each day, and all matches.

Our Shockers knew they have to keep winning as the season winds down to take a good seed in the pending District Cup. But, they started the match today tentative at best. Flat is a very good word. They were specifically told to:

“Beat all white jerseys to the ball.”

That did not happen. In fact, we were out hustled the entire first half. Mind you we had six shots on goal – including a penalty kick. But, we simply could not find the goal with the ball always going sideways off a toe.

Captain Mars Twitchell did launch a beautiful corner kick that rattled off Christy Tovar for a decisive goal. And, our defense dug in with gritty play. Keeper Hannah Derezinski had the save of her young life actually stretching full-out to her left to finger tip a hard shot beyond the post. That was really fun to watch.

We began to try some different combinations just to shake things up at the midline and amongst our Strykers.

Some heart were broken with some harsh words amongst the players. That was new. But, it will be corrected. I say this mostly because we play as a team – and, we always play as a team. We support one another. Always. That is all there is to it.

During half time we simply reminded them that when we control the midline and communicate, everyone relaxes, and we score goals. We lead the entire league in goals. An eye-popping thirty (30) after this morning, to be exact. So, we should always feel that we can control any match by Wanting The Ball.

Voila! As simple as that, the light turned on, and we began to play Shocker Ball from the opening minute of the second half.

Christy Tovar woke up and began to deny Fury their lines up the middle. She set up plays – often taking transitions from her defenders. Sarah Bowers was pushed up to the right-side Stryker position and the game simply changed in it’s pace. Mars Twitchell offered up a brilliant left-footed shot from 20 meters out that was clearly goal bound when Sarah tapped in in for good measure, and her first goal of the season. We debated who should have the goal. But, in the end, it’s generally the last boot on the ball that gets the goal; and, the ref made it official on his tally sheet. Mars is a great Captain and continues to lead her team with unselfish passes and crosses. She is also raising her game to new heights with ever better corner kicks.

Once we had momentum our Shockers were relaxed and set up some splendid fast breaks up the right side.

We had an awkward moment when our Keeper bent over for a slow moving ball, losing her concentration, neglecting to smother it with her body, and allowing it to dribble morosely into a corner.

However, Christy Tovar was heads-down and looking for another “hat-trick. And, within a six minute span, had two more hard shots for goals and another win that should give us a lot of confidence for tomorrow’s critical match against NSA Magic.

We willed ourselves to victory. This is what winning teams do.

Shockers 4 vs. Fury 1.

Coach Brian