Louisa's First Soccer Game, It's Only a Kid's Game!

Yesterday was Louisa's first soccer game. It was more of a "practice scrimmage", but her team, The Dragons, got their butts whomped anyway. They played two games, and got beat both times. But, it doesn't matter! It's all for fun! (I need to keep reminding myself that!)

Each team is only supposed to have seven players, 6 players and 1 goalie. The first game they played, the opposing team had so many extra players that each kid got a chance to sit out and rest up before coming back in again. They also had 8-9 players on the field at a time. My husband tried to call to the refs a few times to point it out and I eventually made him sit telling him, "It's only a kid's game, let them be". I did point it out to Louisa's coach after the game, though. I also pointed out how it's not fair that one team is so much bigger that the kids get to sit out more, when our team only has one extra player, meaning most of our players have to play the entire game. But it's only a kid's game, right?

The second game they played, The Dragons were beat even more miserably thanks in large part to the fact that not one single Dragon played defense the entire game. Um... Coach? Aren't we supposed to be teaching the kids ALL the fundamentals of soccer? Not just how to score a goal? I could be wrong. I've only successfully coached a team to a championship once before, whereas this coach has done it... *none*! I don't mean to criticize... okay, ya, I do! TEACH THEM DEFENSE!

Louisa played goalie for the first half of the second game. She really had no clue what to do. She thought she had to stay in that little tiny box right by the goal the whole time, and she kept throwing the ball right back into the legs of the opposing team. They scored more goals on her than I'd like to count. She was very frustrated. One very nice parent came to me and said, "Your daughter can go out farther in the box. Does she know that?" I said no, I don't think the coach has taught them defense at all. So as I am sitting there screaming my lungs out, trying to direct Louisa where to throw or kick the ball, my husband says (in a way that only husbands can get away with), "Honey, it's only a kid's game!"

We are going to the soccer field to work on a few defensive moves today, as soon as Husband gets done putting my shiny chrome step-rails on my truck.

Here are some of the highlights of the soccer game yesterday:

{Louisa is to the far right... playing *defense*!}

{The only ball she stopped while playing goalie. At least I got a picture of it!}

{The peanut gallery.... I mean, the rowdy soccer crowd!}

{Drew and Hunter take up their own game.}