Soccer Superstar!

Violet is on a soccer team of 4 and 5 year olds. The Fireballs. They are so cute in their little soccer outfits. She is a great little player out on the field and tries really hard. The only problem? Our team has no skills. We had yet to even score a goal - all season - until Saturday.

We arrived as the game was starting (bad mom, I know, but really... our son has reached the Terrible Twos with a vengeance and there was major meltdown happening at our house right when we were supposed to leave), and Violet sat the bench for the first couple of minutes, watching the team play. Then Coach Patty called her on the field. She went RIGHT OUT THERE and started KICKING THE BALL! HARD!! She was playing GREAT defense and even working with her teammates to pass the ball to them.

If you've ever watched 4 year olds play soccer, it's hysterical. They are all just a little amoeba roaming the field, following the ball, and every once in awhile someone will have a breakaway and you just pray that it's your team and that they are heading in the right direction when it happens. Because what they do is run. And kick. And they do not stop. Sometimes (usually) they run faster than they kick. Sometimes they keep kicking and running right off the field and, well, keep going. And they never, ever hear the ref blow the whistle. Of course it could be worse. There's always the couple of kids who are playing with the grass, looking for ladybugs. THERE'S A GAME HAPPENING right around them, and they have crouched down in the MIDDLE OF THE FIELD to rescue the precious little beetle from being trampled.

So anyway, we were on the field and the opposing team (undefeated, by the way) had already scored a goal, but by some miraculous feat the Fireballs were surrounding the other team's goal and closing in - just when we thought we would lose it, Violet got the ball, broke away from the group, and KICKED IT INTO THE GOAL!!!!!!! The entire sideline ERUPTED in cheers for our team and the whistle blew for the end of the first quarter.

We were elated!! The game was tied, and VIOLET SCORED THE FIRST GOAL EVER FOR THE FIREBALLS!!!! All the moms and dads and teammates congratulated her. We were so excited and proud and thrilled.

The second and third quarter were tough - both teams tried to score, but the goalies played excellent defense. Right at the end of third quarter, the opposing team got a goal. It was now 1-2. Coach Patty yelled to the team as the fourth quarter began, "First person to get a goal on our team gets a quarter!!" Violet must have heard that one, because the Fireballs took off running... right down to the goal where Violet passed it to Kaden, who kicked it into the net! We were tied, and Violet got the assist!!! YEAH!!!!! The sidelines, again, erupted. What were the chances that the team who hasn't won a game yet would score their first goal of the season with the team that was undefeated in the league?? Well the game wasn't over yet...

The kids ran hard... the other team almost scored another goal on us, but Tristan was masterfully defending the goal. He got the ball and threw it - HARD - toward the Fireballs. Ryan kicked it downfield and got tangled up in the ball and lost it... but Jesse was right behind him. He pulled it away again - but this time the other team was there to get the ball back. It was a tangle of legs and feel and a ball somewhere in there, when Violet pulled away fro the group with the ball - just 15 feet from the goal... ten feet, and a HUGE KICK RIGHT THROUGH THE GOALIE'S LEGS!!! It was pandemonium on the sidelines! Coach Patty was screaming, moms and dads were cheering, the team was high-fiving, and Violet was jumping up and down, hands in the air, celebrating the thrill of victory.

What a game.

And afterward, a blue and red Slurpee for the best soccer kicker the Fireballs have ever known. :)