Spring Soccer

Luke and Caden played soccer again this spring.  They both played on the same team as in the fall.  Porter opted out again.  Luke and Caden are aggressive soccer players when they are at home playing each other or with dad.  They are very competitive.  They do all they can to get to the ball.  But when they get out there on the field with their team they become polite and seem to lose much of their aggressiveness.  It is an interesting phenomenon.

Caden had fun and was thrilled to score his only goal in the last game of the season.

Luke has been kind of an outsider on his team.  Part of that may be due to us moving so often.  A lot of these kids already know each other and have friendships among their teammates.  Luke has never had that.  Part of it may be due to the fact that he doesn't play games on Sundays.  There were 2-3 Sunday games in the fall, but nearly half of his games this spring were on Sunday.  It's hard to feel like part of the team when you miss half the games.  He also missed some practices as one of the two weekly practices occurred at the same time as scouts and he typically went to scouts those nights.  Still, it wasn't easy watching Luke's teammates leave him out of soccer drills during practice and rarely passing to him during games.  While he is not one of the best on his team, he is not without some skill.  He is a great passer and did a great job aiding his teammates in making goals.  Yes, he is not as aggressive as he could be, but I have figured out that probably has more to do with confidence than anything.  Even if his teammate's exclusion of him is not intentional, it takes a toll.  If only I knew how to increase his confidence so he would play on the field like he does at home with his brothers.

Luke played in a tournament that was downright miserable.  If only this picture could portray how miserable.  David was out of town so I had all the kids with me.  It was freezing, raining, and windy.  Umbrellas were being ruined by the wind left and right.  The kids and I were wet and cold to the core.  I ended up taking the kids to the car so they could warm up.  I almost pulled Luke out of the game so I could take my sad, miserable family home.  Afterward, Luke was so miserable I could tell tears were close to the surface.  When I told him I almost pulled him out, he said he had been hoping I would do just that.  He went home and soaked in a warm bath for a very long time.  The rest of us sat in front of the fire, and still I felt chilled for the rest of the day.

Luke's team played a very good team for their last game.  They got killed, but I was delighted that Luke scored his team's only goal.  Look what can happen when his teammates pass to him!