Thursday, February 27, 2025

The Very Last Game

The very last game.

 Ever. 

After playing soccer for 18 years, Josh's soccer career came to an end last November with a loss to Young Harris. The Belmont boys went down 3-0 and were never able to recover. Josh went in right after the second half began (we weren't sure he was going to see the field at all, so this was an immense surprise and gift). He played solid, solid game. He played left back and had a couple of shots on goal which were so close to going in. 

 It was almost the perfect game to go out with. The Young Harris fans were awesome in their intensity and support of the home team. There was an air full of excited energy. The home crowd was chanting and heckling our boys from their sideline (almost all of what they said was so funny - even as a mom of a kiddo who was being heckled), and they had a full house of supporters with the entire men's baseball team showing up to cheer the soccer boys on along with Young Harris student spectators that filled up three or four bleachers along with the moms and dads there to cheer their sons on.

Bobby and I were on the fence about whether to go, prior to making the trip. It was quite a distance away from us, and was on a weeknight with a start time of 7 pm. Plus, as I mentioned above, we were pretty certain Josh was not going to see any time on the pitch, and so we had no desire to dedicate any time to a team we could have cared less about and a soccer coach whom I loathe. (I will be happy to share more details on why once Josh graduates.) It turns out though that Josh really wanted us to be there, and so we went. I am really, really glad we did. 

The night was crisp, but not too cold. During part of the game there was a decent amount of rain coming down which only added to the whole vibe. Between the crowd, the weather, it being the playoffs, it was such a cool experience. I wish all of Josh's soccer games could have been this way - it would have changed so much about our own family's experience with collegiate sports. 

Because I knew going into this game, that this was my last chance to see my son, who has been so passionate about this sport for almost his entire life, play competitively I really made sure to be in the moment from the time he stepped on that field until the last buzzer signaling the end of the game. I cherish those moments so very much. 

When the game was over, my sweet boy walked over to me with tears in his eyes and a quivering lip, and all of the tears that had been pooling in my own eyes spilled out onto my cheeks and down my face. I hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear that the game had ended exactly as it should have - with him on the field playing the game he loves so much. 


Josh running on the field alongside an opponent and Ian. Belmont boys are dressed in all red (red shirt, shorts, and socks) and the opponent is dressed in all white from head to toe. The sky is dark and it has just finished raining. Josh is sprinting back to defend the Belmont goal. The field is turf and the scoreboard is in the background on the left hand side of the picture. There is twenty-nine minutes and fifteen seconds left in the game. Belmont has zero and the opponents goal score is not in the picture, but it is either 2 or 3 at this point in the game.

The back of Josh on the field. He is wearing his number 14 jersey. His jersey, shorts, and socks are all red. He is wearing white cleats. In the foreground there is another (unknown) Belmont Abbey soccer player and then two players from the opposing team. Those players are wearing all white gear. The opposing goalie is in his goal and he is wearing all green from head to toe. It is pitch black out. The field is made up of turf. The ball looks like it is out of play at this point.

Josh facing Belmont's goal, waiting for the ball to be passed to him. There is on other player in this picture, number 8 from the opposing team. He is also facing the Belmont goal. His back is to the camera as he waits for the pass. The American flag is flying in the background showing us that at this point in the game it was windy.

There are three soccer players in this photo - two of them are walking together and are players from the opposing team. The third player is your brother. His body is facing the camera, but his head is turned toward the right. If I had to guess, he is getting reset for a goal kick or the other team has just scored and is he waiting for the ball to pass it back up to the 50 yard line. There are no other indications as to what is happening at this moment in the game, but that is beside the point. I just wanted to capture a few moments of his last time on the field.

 

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