Some folks complain that it’s not much of a game when you destroy the other soccer team by a double digit score. While likely so from a spectator’s point of view, I sure don’t have any complaints being on the winning end.
Sunday’s indoor game finished something like 13-2, and I didn’t mind it one bit. The hardest thing was finding someone to score in the second half since most of us had already reached the two-goal limit imposed by the league. My first goal was an easy breakaway; my second a nicely executed back heel. Ironically, the best goal of the game was a brilliant shot into the top left corner by an opposing player.
Yesterday’s outdoor game, played in torrential rain and gale-force winds, was a similar affair. The final score was in the 10-0 range, though the game started interestingly enough. We were going into the wind and the other team had the kickoff. Well, the fellow just hauled off and launched a shot right from the kickoff. Aided by the wind it easily travelled 50 yards and bypassed our completely flummoxed keeper. Had I not helpfully mentioned to the referee that kickoffs were indirect free kicks, I’m certain we would have been down 1-0 with less than 5 seconds gone in the game.
The match held roughly even for the first 20 minutes. Clearance out of the back was difficult for our keeper and our defenders as any pass that went above head-high got caught by the wind and either died instantly or saw its flight truncated sharply. Nonetheless we managed a corner about 25 minutes in and scored for a 1-0 lead. Shortly thereafter I put a very pretty looping pass over the defensive line and Jeremy, our center mid, took it in flight and blew it into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. This is where we left it at half.
The second half was a disaster for the other team. Constantly under pressure and unable mount much of an attack in the face of the wind, we ended up scoring another 7-8 goals (honestly, I lose count after about five). Personal items of note: My first goal was off a scramble in front of the net. It wasn’t anything to write home about particularly. Then I got dumped in the box when some guy ran through me trying to get a header. That resulted in Debra’s penalty kick goal. I put in a nice header off a corner with seconds remaining which I was quite happy about.
The ironic bit is that their keeper was stronger than ours, but with Dave and Co. patrolling the backline for us and keeping the ball forward, the poor fellow was under a barrage in the second half.
Two days, two games, twenty-something to two. I’ll take it.