Soccer

Last night I played my second soccer game with "The Once Mighty Growlers" (it's our team name -- the team used to be The Mighty Growlers, but they've all been playing together for about 10 years and are now all in their 30s and 40s and have slowed down a bit.  I am the token young player).  I signed up to play on a coed soccer league mostly because I thought it would be fun to play the game that I used to love when I was a kid, but also because it would be a nice switch-up to working out at the gym every night, and maybe I would meet some new cool people. 

Last night's game started out really well.  I was having fun and our team wasn't doing half-bad.  Jordan had flown in to DC an hour before the game, so I dragged him (not drugged him) to the game and he was on the sidelines ready with my water bottle when I was subbed out.  I was in good spirits.

The second half started and I ran out on to the field, still pumped.  I was able to make a few OK moves, even after getting tangled up with legs and ball and falling down hard to the turf a couple of times.  That hurts!  Like a bad rug burn.  Anyway.  ..  So I'm defending the goal and the other team is rushing towards it with the ball.  Their player passes the ball to the center so that another player can run up and strike it in to the goal.  But no!  I'm ready.  I'm pumping my arms and legs, running fast - SPRINTING toward the ball, and I kick it away before the other team can get to it.  I felt super awesome for about a split second...  until the ball spun backwards and started heading back toward our goal.  At that point, everything sloowwwwed doooowwwwwwnnnnnn.  I watched in horror as the ball drifted up, floating in the air like a balloon, and nonchalantly coasted up and over our keeper's head..  He jumps for it, slowly moving his arms together, hands advancing toward the ball to catch it in his grip....  and then after this 5 minute series of events, time sped back up to normal and the ball shoots right in to the net.

CRAPPITY!

That was the worst feeling ever!!  I scored on our own goal.  I felt embarrassed, but mostly SO MAD!  I subbed myself out, fury shaking my body.  How could I have done that!  I probably just lost the game for the team!  Why did the ball spin back over my foot and go backwards?!?  I went over and over it in my head.  So frustrating.  So then I was super nervous the rest of the game.  If we lost because of me, I would feel horrible.  I hardly even know these people.  They'll probably hate me and nickname me girl-who-can-only-score-goal-on-own-team.  Or something else equally as awful.

Luckily we were given a penalty kick with only just over a minute left in the game and we tied it up.  Relief!  Although we would have won the game if I hadn't scored.  UGH.  I was still mad after the game was all done, but then a lot of people came up to me - own team and opposing - who said, "Bad luck!  I've done that before.  Don't worry about it"  and I realized, yeah!  Even the pros do it!!  Ah well.  On to the next game (which is this Friday).  I'll just do my best and that's it!

This is what I looked like after the ball slipped through our goalie's hands