October Soccer

During the month of October, the NWC girls racked up four wins, which, when paired with the wins and ties in September, was just enough to help them squeak into the state tournament, building their confidence along the way.  Emily has again been up and down with her play, although generally solid.  She notched two assists and also scored her first high school goal, which is incredibly exciting for a center back!  And now we anxiously wait to see who the girls play in the state tournament and how far they can go.

Emily played against one of her best friends from her club team in mid October - we were not at this game, but Lauren's dad took tons of photos, kept us in the loop, and even took Emily home after the game.  

Pink Out Day against Avon.

A much needed win.

Under the lights against Granby Memorial.

Another big win.

These two....so grateful for the confidence that Shannon shows in Emily, each and every game. She's a great partner at center back and a great captain.

When your coach tells you that you had a terrible game and you need to get it together.  But in a nice way.

Biggest game of the season.  They had to win this game to qualify for the state tournament.  One hour before the game, the school was notified of a positive COVID case on the team.  All of the girls were required to wear masks and two varsity starters were sent home - for ten days, including Emily's best friend.  Although the girls struggled with emotions, and even to breathe in their masks during the first half, they were tied 1-1 at halftime.

Deep in the second half, when the score was still 1-1, Emily took a long throw in, and the ball ended up coming back out at her.  She rocked a left footed shot from just outside the top of the box on the right and put the ball in the net, far left side.  Everyone went insane. If you are going to score your first high school goal, it might as well be a big one.  As her club coach said, "big players step up in big games."

These girls would have been thrilled for her no matter what, but the implications of the goal made it so much more meaningful.

When you win a game like this, there is nothing better.