What’s the difference between a great team and a championship team?

The Crushers had one last chance to answer that question, at the Colchester Soccerfest 2013 tournament this past weekend, and couldn’t come up with the answer. They came tantalizingly close, again, but couldn’t “finish” – I’ll be getting to that.

The tournament started with a dreaded morning game (9AM) on Saturday vs. Prospect. The team seemed ready to put their poor performance in previous morning games behind them. While they won the game 3-2, some uncharacteristic breakdowns in communication led to a couple of sloppy goals. Not an ideal performance, but for a morning game…they’d take it

Next up was the host team Colchester Saturday afternoon. We had played them twice before earlier this year, but now they were on their own turf, defending their honor at home. We expected a tougher game this time around and Colchester did not disappoint. They came out aggressive and challenged from the initial touch. Despite a late goal from Colchester the Crushers came away with a 2-1 decision. The team was 2-0 after day 1 – not bad. Neither game went perfectly, but they seldom do.

Sunday kicked off with yet another AM game…fortunately, with daylight savings the team had an extra hour of sleep under their belt and it showed. They played North Stonington at 9AM and won a 2-0 match that showed some real improvement over the two games they played on Saturday. Over the 3 games in pool play they had given up 2 then 1 then 0 goals. They didn’t lose a game in round-robin play (and it is worth noting that none of the 7 teams from the Enfield Soccer Club participating in the tournament lost a game in pool play! Well done, all!) Things were headed in the right direction (or so we thought) as the team prepped for the Championship game.

The final match was Sunday at Noon vs. Guilford, a team they lost a frustrating 1-0 game to just a few weeks ago at the Columbus Day Tournament in Rocky Hill. It was a golden opportunity for the girls to not just win the tournament, but exact a measure of revenge on the young ladies of Guilford. Alas, how you’d like things to work out and how they actually work out are not often the same. The Crushers played well - but not great - against a tough, physical and determined Guilford team. For some reason, the Guilford girls play a style that is equal parts confounding and irritating for the Crushers. They just couldn’t find the right answers to Guilford’s unorthodox, relentless style of play. Despite outshooting Guilford by almost a 3 to 1 margin, Guilford scored twice and the Crushers couldn’t find the back of the net. The team had some sterling chances, particularly in the second half, but could not convert them. Inability to “finish” was their undoing. Guilford earned a 2-0 win and the tournament championship in the process.

We talked to the girls for a while after the final game of the tournament (and the fall season) about what makes a championship team. They had a great season and have been a great team for some time now but something was missing. When it is all on the line, champions execute without fail. A champion is at their best when things are worst. Players step up to the pressure of the big game and perform at a higher level than they ever have. It is the 1° of difference I referred to in an earlier blog. They have come incredibly close but haven’t gotten there … yet. It is time for us to turn the page and dive into the next chapter of Crushers history. A better story is just ahead.