Claire is absolutely loving playing Spring soccer! She is playing with the same team as she did in the Fall (same uniforms) and just enjoying being outside with her friends, kicking the ball around, and battling it out on the field on Saturday mornings! Claire has been improving dramatically every season she has been playing. I absolutely love watching her play and look forward to seeing her get physical out there! It is so much fun to watch!
This season, Claire has really developed a lot of great little touches on the ball. She also figured out how to properly kick the ball and kick it a great distance! She has been playing middle defense and forward every game. They need her desperately in the back (because they are playing against mostly fourth graders) but also need her to score goals! She loves switching positions and doesn't take the job lightly when she is out there!
The thing I love the most is that she actually
loves the game. She wants to be out there, she wants to work hard, she accepts any challenge and has grown to be pretty fearless out there. One game this season, we only had seven girls for the whole game (they play with 10). Oh, and it was 97 degrees out! Claire had four breakaways in a row and she was taken down hard all four times just as she broke free at the half line. Every time, Claire got up. These were not little take downs, either. The defense knew if she broke through, she would score so they took her down. Not a bad strategy but it sucked for Claire. The fourth time she was taken down, she fell hard. She stayed down for a minute and was crying a little, knees bleeding, but I knew she would pull it together and stay on the field. Claire was MAD when she got up. You could tell that she had had enough! It was a free kick just outside the 18 yard box. Claire insisted on taking the kick and cracked a shot which the keeper was barely able to hit back towards Claire. Claire followed her shot and kicked it in the goal with a vengeance! I have never seen her so pumped! It was a great moment to watch and a moment where I think Claire decided that she wasn't going to take any one's flack anymore! And, she did it with class which was awesome.
I can't wait for Fall soccer when we get to do this all over again. Good job Claire! Way to go!
1 comment:
Claire, it was funny when I read what your mom wrote that she could have been talking about herself. Noone was ever tougher than your mom on the field. I am enjoying watvhing you (from afar) develop that same mental toughness. Keep working, young lady. The sky is the limit.
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