Sometimes double vision can be twice as nice.

The Crushers had 2 games this past weekend. Through a quirk in scheduling the CT Cup game and their league games were against the same team at the same field - CT Cup on Saturday, then league on Sunday vs. Glastonbury, in Glastonbury. Winning two games on another teams’ home turf can be daunting… and the Crushers would soon find out if they were up to the task.

Cup games bring a special brand of pressure. The “one and done” format gives everyone (coaches included) some serious butterflies as game time approaches. On Saturday the Crushers struck for an early lead in the first half, going up 1-0 and carrying some momentum in the second half. As expected, with their backs to the wall, Glastonbury came out strong in the second half but was unable to produce an equalizer. As the game wound down, the Crushers added an insurance goal and stepped up their game defensively. In the end it was a 2-0 win allowing the Crushers to move on in their quest for the Cup. They are now one of just 8 teams remaining in the tournament. They outshot Glastonbury 12-7. After the game everyone headed home for some much needed rest.

Sunday brought another game vs. Glastonbury on the very same field where the Crushers had eliminated them from Cup contention the day before. Glastonbury had an axe to grind and the Crushers were back on their turf.  The physicality that was on display in Saturday’s Cup game was understandably amplified in Sunday’s game…this was a chance for Glastonbury to exact some revenge on the Crushers. Despite the determined efforts of both sides, it was 0-0 at the half.

 Glastonbury scored about 15 minutes into the 2nd half, putting the Crushers down 0-1. About 15 minutes after that, the Crushers managed to tie the game 1-1 on a corner kick. With maybe 10 minutes left, the press was on. To win the league, the Crushers could not afford a draw with Glastonbury. With about 5 minutes remaining, after some tense moments, the Crushers broke through for their second goal; it was now a 2-1 Crushers lead. At that point there was less than 5 minutes remaining and the team was determined that they would not concede another goal. Sure enough, they held tough and finished with a nail-biting win. The Crushers had managed to win 2 crucial away games, including a come from behind win in the second game, keeping them in the hunt for the Cup and league title.

The character of the team was tested this past weekend and the girls passed with flying colors... never down, never negative, always pushing forward.

Memorial Day weekend brings a bit of relief in the form of a tournament in Nashua, NH. The team can bond and play some soccer in a less pressured environment. On the other side, the next round of Cup and league play awaits. The journey continues.

 “Continuous effort … is the key to unlocking our potential.” ― Winston Churchill