BSGE vs. Kipp NYC College Prep
Ah playoffs. My very first playoff game, and sadly, my last. This game against Kipp NYC College Prep ended in a 1-0 loss. This was an undefeated team, but they did not play like an undefeated team. They were actually worse than Goddard, but during the entire game, we were unable to score a goal. Their one goal was not even an impressive goal. It kind of just rolled in slowly, but our goalkeeper was too far to save it.
The day began on a rough start. Since our game was at Randall’s Island, it was pretty difficult to get to. As a result, half the team in Coach John’s car ended up arriving pretty late; only a few minutes until kickoff. The girls who were there on time had some cheap soccer balls to practice with, and we did not do proper drills either. Additionally, it was really windy and we never practiced with windy conditions. The ball kept getting carried in random directions because of Mother Nature.
The game began and so the pressure rose. I was the starting center forward again and this made me especially happy and proud because my parents came to the game and they never saw me play before. They are still baffled that I joined the soccer team this year, so to have them witness their daughter playing a sport felt really good. Kipp’s first goal came pretty early on in the game and we had many chances of getting goals ourselves. Sadly, their defense was pretty strong and their goalkeeper especially was really tall. When we first saw her, we knew we would have difficulty in scoring on her because height was definitely on her side. Towards the middle/end of the game, one of our midfielders, Joanna, and defensive player, Yvonne, collided faces briefly. This was actually a result of one of the referees being in the way of the ball and they did not want to kick him. Yvonne was fine but Joanna fell to the ground with a pretty bad bloody nose. We had to take her out of the field, which was terrible because she was a key player on our team.
The game continued and the thing that broke my heart and soul was when I got the ball and had the chance to shoot. But I reverted to my old habits of being too scared to shoot and as a result, I did not take a shot and a defensive player got to me. Actually, they almost scored on their own goal, but the goalkeeper saved it just in time. If I had taken a shot one second earlier, there was a high chance of it going into the goal. There was a high chance of the game becoming tied–or even won–if I kicked the ball one. second. earlier. This was my thinking for the next few hours after the game. It really upset me and I cried because of it–not because we could have won or tied but because losing this game meant the soccer season was actually over, and I did not want it to end.
When the final whistle noise sounded, I saw every girl’s heart shatter in front of me: on the field and around me at the bench. We all broke down crying. I tried to keep a straight face but after seeing everyone else’s tears, I could not hold it in. I was a wet mess as I high-fived the opposing team, congratulating them in between heaving breaths. As Coach John gathered us in a circle, he gave a speech about how proud he was of us. Even though we did not get the outcome we hoped, we still finished the season strong with seven wins and three losses. Considering this team lost more than half the players after last year’s seniors left, this was impressive. Coach continued talking and giving out t-shirts he bought with each of our nicknames on them. I was named the “Dancing Monkey” because of the pose I always do while playing (it literally looks like I am a dancing monkey). So, I got a shirt with a monkey on it with almost the same pose I do. After the shirts were given out, Man of the Match (MotM) was announced and it was me! In that moment, I felt so proud of myself. Two months ago, I knew nothing about soccer and I had never been on a team before. Now, I stood next to Coach as he handed me the MotM crown.
After the speech, all the spectators came to congratulate us on our performance. The supporters in my grade came and gave out beaded necklaces to all the seniors on the team because technically, this was our last official PSAL game, which is so sad. Our captains, Maria and Kacey, continued crying a little more until it was time for pictures. We took some team pictures and pictures of just us seniors with Coach John and Mr. Mehan. This game may not have been a victory, but I could not be prouder of myself and the team. I am so glad I decided to join the team for my last year at BSGE. It definitely made my year memorable in a really good way.
