This past weekend the Crushers played their final 2 league games of the 2014 Spring season. They needed to win both games… and then get a bit of help (in the form of a tie or loss by Farmington Valley in one of their 3 remaining games) to win the league title. Heading into the weekend, we learned that our starting goalkeeper for the past few years would be unavailable due to injury. With 2 keys games remaining… to say this was bad news is a gross understatement. As a coach, I was sweating well before the first game started. Fortunately, a few of the girls – who rarely play in goal – put the team first, ahead of their own preferences or on-field playing time, and stepped into the role of keeper for these last two critical games. No pressure, right? The Crushers last game had been a frustrating loss in the Cup tournament. Now it was time to see if they could bounce back, forgetting the past and focusing on the present.
On Saturday they played against Simsbury at Mark Twain, at the conclusion of the ESC U15 Girls Cup semi-final game (which they won in OT! Well done ladies!). The girls took the home field against Simsbury with some lingering doubts… could they recover from last week’s Cup loss, could they protect the goal and their novice keepers well enough to win, could they find their scoring touch after being shut out the week before? All those doubts we washed away as they got out to an early 1-0 lead. Their intensity and effort paid off as they tallied 3 more goals over the course of the game to win 4-0. There was excellent effort across the board and in particular, the team defense was stellar allowing just four shots in the entire game. One game down, one to go.
On Sunday the Crushers had their second home game in as many days… this time vs. Wethersfield. Again they needed to win to have a chance at the league title and again they would be without their starting keeper. The girls came out strong against an overmatched Wethersfield team. When it was over the Crushers had managed a 5-0 victory and as well as the defense played vs. Simsbury, they were even better against Wethersfield. They logged another shut-out and held Wethersfield to just 3 shots in 80 minutes of play.
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With Sunday’s win the Crushers finished the season undefeated in league play but there was a chance that they could lose the league title to Farmington Valley – if Farmington won all 3 remaining games on their schedule. Farmington had a game to play on Sunday and 2 on the docket for the following weekend. The Crushers might have to wait another week to see if they won the league. Fortunately for the girls, they got their answer on Sunday. Their opponent on Saturday, Simsbury, played Farmington on Sunday to a 1-1 draw. It was over – the Crushers had won the league title, winning their last 2 games by a combined 9-0 score and outshooting their opponents in those two games 39-7!
At the beginning of their season the girls wrote down 2 goals for 2014 – 1. Win the Cup 2. Win the League – and in the end they had their best performance ever in the Cup tournament (quarterfinals) and won the league title in convincing fashion! I couldn’t imagine a more fitting end to their season. Well deserved success for all of their hard work.
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All that remains for the Crushers is the Newington Wrap-Up tournament on Father’s Day weekend. Next week I’ll wrap up this blog with a review of the tournament and some final thoughts on the journey of the Crushers over the last few years. Until then… remember…
“It is hard to beat a person who never gives up.” ― Babe Ruth
…and these girls never give up.
