Soccer!

The final soccer game of the fall season was upon us and it was a great day to finish things off.  Ryan had decided at the beginning of the season that he wanted to score three goals each game and he was surprisingly on target most of the time.  After his three-goal quota was met his job was to help with assists for the other players on his team.  It's fun to watch how focused he gets and how hard he plays.

Ryan is a pretty good dribbler and his short legs give him a little bit of an advantage.  

 

Ryan had a lot of fun and was sad it was over, especially the treats at the end of the game!

Matthew really enjoyed playing on his soccer team this year.  He was on an all boy team and they had referees that kept score.  He worked hard to improve some of his skills and Kevin says Matthew is a good midfielder because he has a very good sense of where the ball always is and where it should go.  He has become better at making passes and assists and seems to understand the role of the team more.

Matthew's last game was awesome, but I am sad to say that both the camera and the camcorder ran out of batteries for the best parts!  Matthew's team was behind by three and at one point he was running down the field with the ball when a player from the other team came to steal it.  Matthew tried to run around the player but ended up colliding hard with the boy.  Matthew got knocked flat on the ground and just laid there for awhile.  I could tell he was trying hard not to cry.  He sat up and looked at me with tears in his eyes, then stood up and brushed them away.  The coach wanted to take him out, but Matthew waved him off and said he wanted to stay in the game.  Next play of the game?  Matthew scores.  The other team gets the ball, Matthew steals and scores.  A few minutes later Matthew got a hat-trick!  He literally tied the game in a matter of five minutes.  Another player on his team scored the final goal for the win.  It was a great comeback for them. While I was happy for Matthew and his achievement I was more proud of his courage and hard work.