The boys are playing soccer again! Ethan is returning to his team from last year and Ashton is playing with a new team, actually from ICS (International Community School)! We have many friends who go to ICS which is a hybrid homeschool/private school, but none that he knew personally on the team.
Unfortunately for this mama Ethan's practices are on Mondays and Wednesdays while Ashton's are on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Go figure. Ethan has some Friday games and Ashton's are generally all on Saturday, so technically there are some weeks we are at the soccer field EVERYDAY except Sundays!
But I love it and I love the outdoor air and exercise the boys are getting.
Last night was Ashton's first game (a last minute reschedule from the game they had to cancel last Saturday) and all day both boys were very nervous about the rain clouds they saw in the distance. During lunch Ethan asked Ashton if he would like to join him in prayer, praying God will stop the rain and allow Ashton to play his game!
The rain stopped and the show went on!
Not really understanding the age groupings last year when I signed Ashton up, I put him on a REALLY young team...too young for him. So this year I bumped him up two levels and he's playing in the U10 division. His coach has really encouraged Ashton so far in practice, really building his confidence as a defender. The coach thinks Ashton is a dynamo defender with his quick reaction time and not letting things past him...I really have to agree!
Ashton was a beast out there. Quick to the ball and just the right amount of necessary aggression. He did a fabulous job!
Unfortunately the team lost, but the team played REALLY well! None of the boys left there feeling defeated as it really was a great game! Ashton left that field SOAKED!
The team joined up in their huddle... preparing to come back less than 12 hours later to play their Saturday game!
Today you could see Ashton was moving a bit slower than he had the night before. He was sore and stiff!
Yet he still played with his whole heart!
At one point in the game Ashton had the ball and the opponent was right in front of him. Out of nowhere he does a football quick toe shuffle...you know where you are light on your feet shuffling them in place. It was like a silent challenge to his opponent like "Bring it baby!" It was quick, but it was hilarious! Everyone that saw started to crack up!
Ashton's team lost again in their second game, but again they played great!
We scooted home, showered and changed and held our breaths, and prayed again, when we saw the rain starting to come down before Ethan's game. Fortunately, as we neared Ethan's field (it was held at the Master's Academy across town) the rain had cleared and they had the go ahead for their game!
Ethan has come back on the team as their official goalie. Boy is he excited! I found out, just today during the game, that they are actually playing in the U12 division instead of the U11 that we all signed up for. Their coach is the organization's President, so I hope he knows what he's doing putting them up with the BIG boys!
Ethan looked so small in that goalie box, especially compared to the opposite team's goalie. He was easily three times his size.
Ethan did a GREAT job as goalie...you won't find anyone as passionate as he is. Unfortunately their team lost 1-4 but we all could see real improvement from last year to this year already! Hoping it's going to be a GREAT season!
No comments:
Post a Comment