PQ Cup
The Vipers entered the end of season tournament with an undefeated record, but stepped on the field a little flat through the first morning of tournament play. They dug a pretty deep hole with a 2-3 loss (Orange Crushers) and 2-2 tie (Red Rockets) in the first 2 games.
In the first game, the goalie from the Crushers, Beaux, had an MVP performance when he stuffed a rapid succession of a dozen shots from the Vipers in the last 5 minutes of the 2nd half and then punted over the entire Viper team to setup the winning goal and close the game. Beaux completely controlled the outcome of that game.
It's tough to watch your son and his team lose, but it's awesome to watch a young kid step up, demonstrate excellence, and dominate on the pitch. I tip my hat to Beaux for such an inspiring performance.
The Vipers lost their swagger in the first game and it was still MIA when they faced the formidable Red Rockets, ranked 2nd at the conclusion of the regular season. The Vipers limped away with a 2-2 tie which greatly reduced their chances of advancing to the semi-finals.
Two games down, and 8 hours of fun playing with friends at the soccer fields...the Vipers stepped into game #3 with their backs against the wall. They needed a 3-0 shutout to win the group and guarantee themselves a place in the semi-finals. That little glimmer of hope was squashed 4 1/2 minutes into the first half when the Great White Sharks put one past Brody. NOTE: that goal was about 2 minutes after I walked behind the goal and let Brody know he can't allow a goal and needs to score 3 points if he wants to play tomorrow...needless to say, he looked to the sidelines with a look of terror and disappointment, and he almost started crying when that ball got by him. I was certainly second-guessing my decision to try and get him fired-up with that info...that one goes on my list of not-so-favorite Daddy moments).
The Vipers walked away with a 4-1 victory, but it wasn't enough to secure the group win and a guarantee the Vipers a spot in the semis. Our fate in the tournament was out of our control. Moving forward was unlikely.
The Viper families left the field around 5PM with the advice that it doesn't look like we will be playing tomorrow, but we will get an email to confirm later that night. After the Viper families headed home, weird got weird, the stars aligned, and we got lucky. The Blue Thunderbolts beat the Silver Strikers to win Group C. The Golden Ninjas upset the Orange Crush 3-1. That allowed the Vipers to edge out the Ninjas AND the Crush for the only wildcard into the semis (by only 2 tournament points)!!!
...but none of the Viper parents/families know about the unlikely turn of events.
Around 6:30, I get the call from Coach Mike to my family know things did NOT work out...wait for it...wait for it..."for the Crushers" and that Brody needed to be ready to play at 8:50 in the AM!!! Things immediately get rowdy around our house!!! That turn of events was a whole bunch of AWESOME!!!
Day #2 The Semis (and the Finals)
Semi #1 (Red Rockets vs Avengers)
We roll into the fields at halftime of the first semi. Hopefully, we'll get to play the winner. The game is tied 1-1 coming out of halftime. It went down to the wire, but nobody could break the tie.
Two overtimes and the place was going crazy!!!
They setup for penalty kicks and call for the team captains to determine who goes first by...wait for it...rock, paper, scissors!!! How great is that??? I figure if rock, paper, scissors is good enough for us to choose the name for our second-born, it's good enough for just about anything (including who kicks first).
BRIEF INTERLUDE: The goalie for the Avengers,Wesley, is a good friend to several of the Viper players. Wesley changed schools this year but is still one of the "crew". He started the tournament with back-to-back shutouts against the Great White Sharks and then the Orange Crushers (VERY impressive).
Wes had a couple of HUGE saves during the penalty kicks but ultimately the Avengers couldn't put enough points on the board to come out on top. The Red Rockets advance to the finals.
Semis #2 (Vipers vs Blue Thunderbolts)
A different Viper team showed up for Day #2 of the PQ Cup, and this group of kids found the swagger they had during the regular season. Brody put one in before we even had chairs setup on the sideline (I think there should be a league rule to wait until I'm setup with chair, shade, camera gear, and soccer stat stuff ready BEFORE they start they game...will work on that as a side project).
Brody ended up with 2 and Ethan grabbed the 3rd for a 3-0 shutout.
The Vipers advance to the finals against the Red Rockets.
PQ Cup Finals - Boys U7 (Vipers vs Red Rockets)
The boys had an hour of downtime after the semi-final game, before putting it all on the line against a tough Red Rocket team that had an extra hour of rest. Before the game even started, we knew we were under cow-belled, and decided to counter with a loop of "Eye of the Tiger" and "We Will Rock You" to get the kids amped up for the finals. Nobody knows for sure, but that might be the catalyst for the ensuing performance.
Ethan got on the board in the 5th minute, putting us up 1-0 in the Championship game. Brody was putting the pressure on and had 7 shots without a goal. I looked at Marie and told her that he was due because he converts 1 of every 4 shots...sure enough, he put one through about 10 seconds later!!! Vipers are up 2-0 in the finals!!!
Coming out of half-time, the coaches shift things to a more defensive, prevent type of defense. Even though we are keeping people back, Trey finds a hole, works the ball down the field, and punches one in to put the Vipers up 3-0!!! It was a HUGE goal that gives us some breathing room through the rest of the 2nd half.
It's the championship game and we've backed the Red Rockets between a rock and hard place. They push the goalie up the field and are pressing us really hard, trying to narrow the gap and get in the game....and then it happens. Trey strips the ball, finds a hole, and moves through the defense...and the Red Rockets just can't keep up with Trey's speed - he is TOO FAST and shoots from way outside to make the final goal and close out the season with a 4-0 victory and the championship!!!
The Vipers are CHAMPIONS and Trey is MVP!!!
And that, my friends, turned into a high-fiving, hug-giving, dog-piling, and chest-bumping good time!!!
And then there was...
High-Fiving!
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| High-Fivin'! |
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Huge-Giving (after Trey closes everything down with his 2nd of the game!)Dog-Piling |
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| Dog-piling!!! That a pile of pure, wholesome, goodness!!! |
Chest-bumping...good time!!!
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| Chest-bumping good times!!!! |
Thank you for all the parents and families that were a part of this great season.
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| Vipers Rock!!! |
Links
- Overview
- Player Stats
- Vipers on Shutterfly ...the pictures are under Game #10. There are quite a few good ones...a lot more than are posted above.
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