What a GREAT weekend of soccer!
A tie (4:4) Friday night, a win (2:1) on Saturday, then a high stakes Sunday starting with a shootout to break a bracket tie that went into sudden death (win) and a loss (1:2). Our girls played strong from the start and all the way through to the end of the tournament - WAY TO GO River Belles!!
(Their old teammate Laney in the blue-and-white stripe jersey stopped by to watch their game and congratulate their tie against a very hard team in her Clinton soccer club and the girls were so thrilled to see her!)
(We drove Amelia to and from the game because her parents couldn't make it and we wanted her to play with us - she's skilled and so spirited on the field, and totally adorable too!)
(It feels good to have a great game, and even better when you win!)
(I have never seen our girls, or the parents, as tense as they were leading up to the shootout... sooo much pressure on such little soccer-loving hearts... I could hardly watch once they got rolling and I was pacing back and forth behind mine and James' chairs the entire time... it kept going back and forth between the teams with score after score, all the way through the lineup and then some before we surpassed them and earned a spot in the finals!)
(Nothing but you and the keeper... way to stay strong and confident Cora!)
(IFC, International Futbol Club, out of Jackson is a BIG club with a lot of amazing teams. Our girls played HARD and did so well, getting a goal in and blocking SO many attempts by the other team. I especially love this picture I caught of Cora jumping up and over an IFC player to make it to the ball first - she's gotten so fast and her "I can do anything" attitude is taking her far on the field!)
(And then it was time to wait for the medal ceremony. Scores are posted and standings are calculated quickly, but they still have to get through multiple age groups each hour. Little soccer sister Emma wanted to be in this photo with the big girls - she's the one up front.)
The RiverBelles earned 2nd place (finalists) and we were so proud of them!
We celebrated with Cora's favorite (pancakes!) and her sweet buddy Harper as a very late brunch after the ceremony:
I decided my soccer mom shirt was a better fit for a Cora nightgown that night :-)
