Live, Love, TEARS.
May 7, 2018 Uncategorized 6 comments jahlberg18
Soccer. One word but has so many meanings, memories, and stories behind it. It is almost refreshing, calming, and bumps my mood from a 4 to a 100. The thrill of the game, the passion and love, and the people are what make it so amazing. Soccer has always and always will be that relief, the one thing that I can count on to take a break from the world. The laughter and the tears are what makes everyone on the team so connected and together. We were a family, and we still are. Looking back to the season on 2014 when I was a little freshman I do have to say it was scary. All the upper class man, trying to get through tryouts, and working as hard as you could to prove you were a part of the team. I was so grateful and excited to be able to play the sport I loved. The years went by faster than ever once freshman year was over. Sophomore and junior year of soccer were all fun and games until we all realized that we had one season left. One season to be with each other, laugh, cry, bond, and share memories. We accomplished all of these things within my senior season the fall of 2017, but the one memory that I feel that just happened yesterday was the play off game against Cape Elizabeth.
November 2nd, 2017 was the Oak Hill senior girls last soccer game. We had an amazing season with a record of 13-1. That was the best record we have every had as a soccer team in many years. Our season was going great by beating Monmouth in over time with Sydney Drews scoring goal! It was one of the best moments ever in our soccer season and we never wanted that feeling to leave. We were on a good streak until the Maddison game came along, which we know was not one of our best games. Though we learned from it and kept on chugging. Eventually our success within our season payed off by allowing us to skip the first round of playoffs. We had time to prepare and get ready for this Cape game, but when we stepped onto that field you could feel the tension, the nerves, and the doubt throughout everyone just building up. From that moment forward you could say it was our biggest downfall yet.
Oak Hill vs. Cape Elizabeth was not a game to remember in my book. It was something we all wanted to win so badly, but by the time we started to actually get into gear we were too far to reach it. They showed no mercy and just kept getting them in, goal after goal. The atmosphere was not cheerful, or bubbly like usual, it was just the opposite. By the 3rd goal I was already crying on the field, people were angry, and nothing was connecting. When the game was over the score was 0-6, Cape. Technically it should have been 1-6 but refs can be blind sometimes to be quite honest. I remember walking off the field in disappointment and sadness. I did not want my last season to end on such a low note. We had come too far to feel this way but it is just how the game goes. I just am thankful that I got to play with such an awesome group of girls within my 4 years of high school soccer.
My team is a sucker for pep talks or post after game talks with coach. We are all talkers, we listen to each other, motivate one another, and help each other grow. But this talk was not the laughy type of talk. It was the one where if Anna or Abba-daba cracked a joke it still made everyone cry. Nobody was laughing, nor did anyone want to because it was not helping the situation. Watching everyone being emotional and upset was a chain reaction. One after another we all had our weeping moments… except probably Lydia which is typical lol. We all had a big hug it out session after to make everyone feel better before going to see our parents and loved ones.
There will be moments that I will always remember and some I won’t necessarily be certain of. Though this one I am certain I will store in my brain, and probably will reflect back on it while reminiscing about soccer. Laughter was always the best medicine for our girls soccer program. Whether it was on a long bus ride late at night playing the sound game, or if it was at a soccer slumber party where we would pretend to give birth. Unfortunately laughter did not help in our play off game, and it did not enlighten the mood or ease the pain. We have such talent on our team and our weakness was getting down on ourselves and not having confidence. We also were a second half team and Cape Elizabeth shut that down very quickly. We knew what we were capable of achieving but sometimes you get handed the short stick. All in all this memory of my last game is filled with mournful feelings and thoughts. This where we really needed the laughter to lift that feeling off everyone’s shoulders a so we could enjoy our last minutes of the game together, but it did not end that way. I wish we could turn back time to do this all over again and be able to end it on a more positive note. I will miss high school soccer and all the memories and stories that go along with it.
Photo by the(?) on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
6 Comments
I appreciate my appearance in this blog first of all. Other than that, this was perfectly written expressing these moments and making a perfect imagery for those who may not have been there. Good work!
I really enjoyed reading this, even though it made me very emotional and teary eyed a little bit. I like how you included specific details about these moments because it actually lets you feel what it was like to be in that moment.
I love this because it shows the love we have for each other through thick and thin. We had so many good memories and a few bad ones but you show it really well in this. If I wasn’t on the soccer team, I would still be able to feel the emotion that was throughout the season. Good job!
Wow wow wow! This piece was amazing and easy to tell how passionate you are towards soccer. While reading this a smile was brought to my face many times as well as a deep feeling of sadness and realization that soccer season done…forever(with my favorite team). This was very well written and close to my heart! #GST #Scrubadub
When I began reading this post I was not able to relate to the bond you had with your team, but I was able to relate to the tears you experienced in your playoff game- as I experienced the same. The logical order of this story allowed me to effortlessly follow along through your journey. Combined with the imagery atmosphere of your game, I was able to truly understand the emotions you were experiencing. My basketball season ended much like yours with a first round playoff loss that left me in tears. I wish more than anything that I was able to brush off the loss, to laugh with my team just one more time (even though I wasn’t that close with them), yet I wasn’t, just like you. I miss basketball with all my heart and wish that my last memory wasn’t walking off the court in tears, hugging my coach as I realized it was my last game. Laughter isn’t always the best medicine, sometimes there is nothing that can heal the pain you are feeling and I think you can relate to that in this situation.
Awe Julia, I will forever miss the special bond that our soccer team throughout the four years. I wish that our playoff game had gone differently too. We laughed throughout the whole entire season and even before the playoff game we managed to laugh. It’s too bad it had to end the way it did.