What A Season It Was

Warm ups before the game. 

They ended their season 12-5-1 including their play off wins/losses. It was the best season Josh has had by far during high school. I loved watching him re-emerge as the player I know him to be: confident, quiet, surefooted, a leader, and a starter. His ability to see the game in real time as the players and ball are laid out before him on the field are second to none. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in his ability to understand the game. Watching him play has always been and will continue to be (as long as he continues to play) one of the best gifts of being his mother. I love watching him play because HE loves playing. He is so passionate about soccer and always has been. From the time he was 4 years old soccer has dominated his life in a way that nothing else has.  I am proud of him for persevering. I am proud of him for not giving up this sport besides the hardships he has been through these last two years living in Portland. He is flourishing once again here in Indianapolis, and I am so thankful to this town for providing Josh the circumstances in which to thrive once more. 

Before every game the starting line up huddles together like this. Like a band of brothers, they stand arm and arm while one of their players says a quick prayer. The first time I saw the boys do this I knew that it would be one my most treasured things about this team. 

The boys that made of this team really made Josh feel at home from day 1. I can remember him coming home from his first summer session of soccer and telling me how friendly these boys were. How welcoming they were. There is something very true about Midwest values. The boys here were all polite and interested in getting to know this boy fore them who has played all over the country. And over a short time, Josh become one of them. Down in the trenches with them, side by side, winning and losing together, as a team. 

The boys ended up losing 2-0 to a team ranked #8 in the state. To be honest, the other team was a better team, but our boys could have beat them that night. An own goal and a controversial penalty kick are what created a final score of 2-0. We could have won that night. Our starting goalie ended up with a concussion so bad he doesn't remember much from the night and stayed out of school for the better part of a week. The penalty kick was scored on our back up goalie. It is hard to say for sure, but I don't think that goal would have been scored if our starter had been in. 

Standing the requisite 10 feet away from his opponent while the other team took a free kick.

Already, Josh and few boys who played on the team who aren't currently seniors are looking forward to next year's season. They are hoping to make it even further out of sectionals than this year's team did. (This year's team went further than last year's team.) I don't want to rush things, so I am not looking that far into the future yet. I am not sure if Josh will end up playing college soccer, so next year may be last too. I am not ready yet to face that possibility. 

In the meantime, I will focus on how lucky I am to get to be Josh's mom. What a gift he truly is and always has been. I don't know what I did to win the second son lottery, but I must have done something right because I hit it big. I couldn't ask for a better second born son. 

High school soccer  has been a while ride so far. It hasn't been anything at all like I would have hoped or planned it to be, but it has been exactly how it was meant to be. Go Quakers!