We’ve shifted from club soccer to high school soccer and in the spring we’ll shift back to club. Tonight he had his first high school game of the season and although Hunter is pretty confident in their team tonight proved they’re off to a rocky start.
Within the first 14 minutes of the game, our goalie was given a red card – the most serious offense in a soccer game – which means he can’t play the rest of the game, the team plays a player short the remainder of the game, and he misses the next game as well. Bummer.
As the goalie walked off the field removing his jersey the coach handed Hunter a penny and told him to grab the goalie’s gloves. This happened in a game last year and it was so stressful, and yet he made a beautiful diving save. Hunter is not a goalie. He’s a solid defender/center back – but goalies have a whole different skillset. And yet without questioning, Hunter put on the gloves and walked to the goal to defend the free kick the opposing team was just awarded. I have to admit – for zero training – he’s a great substitution in a bind. Luckily, it was only a temporary assignment and they were able to get the freshman goalie eventually suited up to take over.
But we still played the game a player short which is a rough position to be in. How we ended the game tied 1-1 without our goalie is a miracle. Hoping the rest of the season is a little smoother and less stressful. If we can keep Hunter out of the goal I will breathe easy.
