Goalie

Our soccer team is young and somewhat inexperienced.  We do not possess girls with a lot of speed, physicality, and raw talent.  We just don't.  For most of them this is just a fun gig and I don't think they have a problem losing.  They are just happy to go out there and run around.  We have a few that are hungry and want to get after it but the majority don't quite grasp that in soccer you have to move.  You have to go after that ball like your life depends on it and you have to know when to pass.  I don't know how the balance of power works in this league.  I thought there was supposed to be some sort of system used so that teams did not get stacked with all of the experienced players while other teams suffered with a sophomore class of players.  Our team seems to be made up by a majority of sophomores.  It is okay in that they are having fun but it is also tough.  I don't like to lose. 

So Natty jumped in the goal for the second half of tonights game.  She was tough as nails in there.  She stopped a ball and up-ended a girl in the process.  The girl just went right over her.  It was pretty cool.  No one got hurt but I had told Natty that as the goalie she needed to be fearless and she had to know that there would be times when she got kicked or whatever else.  This didn't stop her in the least and tonight she played a very good game.  They managed to get a few by her but heck, this team was stacked with some extremely good players.  They got 6 or more passed our best player in the first half so Natty held her own.  She actually plays pretty tough and with a little more experience I think she could be very good.  I just read this and it sounds like she only stopped one ball.  Actually she stopped quite a few, some that surprised me a bit. 

I think she likes to play goalie.  I know that I always enjoyed being in the goal.  At that same time I quite enjoyed playing anywhere on the field and I think she likes being in the field as well.  She still has a lot to learn and skills to develop but we are only in her second season.  She'll get there and hopefully continue to have a lot of fun along the way.