Madysen And Speed Play League Games [Soccer]

On September 9, Madysen and Speed played league games. (Madysen won her first league game 10 days before.) Since Madysen’s team played awful, we’ll recap Speed’s game first. It didn’t start too well. We are in charge of bringing corner flags for all the games–a job which we were volunteered for and which I warned others would not be performed perfectly–and we forgot them for the very first game. That doesn’t bode well. Luckily another parent had a set in their car and the crisis was averted.

Speed’s team–Texas FC 95–was playing in the Plano Premier League. This first game was against Boca Juniors, and you could see improvement since their Labor Day games. They nearly gave up a goal late in the first half, but the keeper bicycled the ball off the line. He was also injured on the play. Looked to have been a potentially serious hand injury, but it should be just a severe sprain. Speed had at least one great chance to score in the first half, but the shot could have been better and the keeper made an excellent save. About midway into the second half, they scored off a good shot from an assist by Speed. They did hold on to win 1-0. (The picture is from warm-ups.)

Madysen’s game did not go so well. They played about as poorly as I could have imagined. And they were playing a team, FC Dallas 94, that is opportunistic.

FC played pretty well–it often seemed as though they played with 14 players while we played with only 8. Nevertheless, neither team got many scoring opportunities. FC scrounged out a goal in the second half to take a 1-0 lead. Very late in the game, the referee called a PK for us on an apparent trip in the penalty box. It looked like a clear penalty to me at the time, but the girl might have tripped over her own feet. Either way, the referee had clearly blown a PK call earlier in the half when the ball rolled by the FC keeper and their sweeper picked up the ball with both hands! Yet, no call. Anyway, we converted on the questionable PK and managed a 1-1 tie.

Considering possession, effort, and style, FCD should have won the game. Scoring opportunities would suggest that a tie was appropriate. Regardless, I hope to Madysen’s team rises above that performance.