Summer Odds and Ends

                                          

Two working girls this summer.

Nick and Agnes asked Lee to be godfather of their youngest. No pics from the service because they are private but here is one of Lee and his buddy from the celebration.

Sporting 06 girls, parents and coaches together for the last time.

Emily had a UWS game in Maine on a Saturday night and couldn't resist swimming the length of Wallis Sands the next morning. 

Elizabeth and her horses.

NWC soccer captains reunite one last time before college.

Three mornings a week, all summer long, Emily, Abby and Swanny put in the work.

My favorite barista

Opening Weekend at CU

Clarkson soccer played two games on Labor Day weekend so Lee and I drove up and stayed the weekend to catch both of them. Much to our surprise (and pride), Emily not only played but started the first game on her college career, playing 49 minutes in a 4-0 win over SUNY Potsdam on Friday night. She had practice on Saturday morning and then we got have lunch and dinner with her, although she spent most of the afternoon and evening doing homework. Then on Sunday, Clarkson played the University of Rochester, the #6 ranked team in the country.  Clarkson went up early and played well, keeping Rochester scoreless until the 69th minute and then the flood gates opened and they lost 4-1. Emily played 65 minutes in that game, and looked solid against a really good Rochester team. She's definitely the weakest player on her team when she's on the field, but that's often how it goes for freshmen and she hopefully will grow into her role and get better with each game.

Elizabeth had to work all weekend and so did not make the trip with us. Her manager let her take her break right at game time, so she got to see Emily in the starting lineup and was really happy.

Emily and her roommate both got playing time in the first game, with her roommate getting an assist!

First Day of School

 First day of college for Emily and Elizabeth!

First day of school at New Haven

Clarkson Move In and Pre Season

In mid August, we brought Emily to Potsdam for early move in and preseason. It was an exhausting move, but it went smoothly and we all immediately clicked with her roommate and family. She was able to set up her entire room before her first pre-season meeting, which was a relief to all of us. The next day, she began 10 days of double and triple sessions, lift and ice bath recoveries. She saw minutes in their preseason scrimmage, which was a huge confidence boost. Classes begin today, so she will need to balance 6 classes along with soccer practice, games and travel days. We miss her but it's a lot easier to deal with because she is happy and doing well.

Elizabeth got her a Jellycat, which they split before she left so they have a piece of each other.

Ready for media day.

Freshmen on media day.

Soccer initiation night -  still all smiles, so they survived!

Sporting UWS

Emily trained and played for the Sporting UWS2 team again this summer. She missed the first three weeks of training because we were away - while the rest was definitely needed and really good for her body (particularly her ankle), she was behind with fitness and playing when she returned. It took her a few weeks, but she slowly started to earn playing time as the summer went on. More importantly, the coaches continued to put her in uncomfortable positions, which helped grow her game. The team finished the season undefeated but unfortunately lost the championship game (which was kind of sprung on them and several players were away on vacation). Looking forward to seeing these girls play again next summer.

UWS1 and UWS2

While the games were all good and highly competitive, the two games against Ole FC were incredible.  Almost every player on the field was a D1 player and the pace of the games and the level of play were impressive. Several college coaches were in attendance at the first game, scouting and watching committed players.