Last Saturday the Crushers faced their first Connecticut Cup opponent – the Southington Splash at Shaker Field in Enfield. After much preparation and discussion about the Cup it was finally time to take the field!
It’s nice to start off at home – even if we needed to switch fields at the last minute. For the first time in a while, Mother Nature cooperated and provided some nice soccer weather. The Crushers had never played Southington so they had no idea what to expect.
Southington turned out to be a strong, physical team that continually challenged the Crushers resolve. The Splash players relentlessly pursued the ball and pressured the Crushers. Over the course of the game (at least the first half) they were beating Enfield to the majority of the 50/50 balls… typically a bad sign. Fortunately, another strong outing defensively limited Southington to just 5 shots in the game (the Crushers finished with 21 attempts on goal). There was no quit in either team at any point in the match and the result was an entertaining (and sometimes frustrating) game to watch.
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When it was over, the Crushers had battled to a 3-1 victory and are one of 16 teams remaining on the road to the Cup. The trait that stood out for the team on this day was determination. Each goal, each defensive stop, each ball won was the result of a determined effort by the girls. That grit, if they can sustain it, will prove invaluable over the next few weeks as Cup play continues.
There was no league game (the scheduled game vs. Simsbury had to be rescheduled due to weather) so the Crushers (and parents) got a well earned day of rest on Sunday.
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This coming weekend brings us to an interesting match-up; through a quirk of scheduling in both Cup and league play, the Crushers face Glastonbury, in Glastonbury, on Saturday and again on Sunday.
If the girls show the same grit and intensity they’ve had to this point in the season, there’s no limit to what they can accomplish. The first step has been taken…
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ― Lao Tzu
