Kentucky Fire Burns Out at Turf Classic

Saturday was a busy day for Robert. 

He was able to sleep in until 8:00, get breakfast and pack up before heading out on the road for the Turf Classic near Cincinnati, OH at 9:00.

His first game was at 11:45 am at Town and Country.  We played against the SKY 99 team (we've played them before both in conference and tournament games).  We didn't really play very well as a team, which says a lot considering we only lost by one goal - the final score was 0-1.  The only goal was a misjudgemet on our goalie who came out too far and then SKY passed the ball around him and they scored.  It was unfortunate.  Robert started the game and played mid-fielder.  He made good passes and connection.  When he received the ball he made good decisions and touches, but somehow it would turnover before we could get a goal.  We had several goal attempts on our goal but Evan did a great job. 

Look at the size difference

Our second game was at 5:00 pm.  Between games Robert and I ate at Panera Bread and then went to the hotel to relax and for Robert to do some homework. We left around 3:45 for his next game.  It was nice to have "time" between games.

The next game was similar to the first game.  Robert also started this game however, Robert's team didn't play well together.  They just really didn't get many chances to control the ball.  The list of mistakes was just too much - panicking with the ball - causing a bad first touch resulting in a turnover, or being too hasty causing a bad pass.  They also didn't stay their positions - bunching up too close to each other, leaving no one to pass the ball to.  All the way around we didn't control the ball with accuracy.  The boys didn't talk to each other very much either.  The last 15 minutes of the game, they played more as a team and came close to scoring a second goal, but in the end the score was 2-1.

The third game was at 7:45 the next morning however the people that scheduled the tournament forgot that it was day-light savings (we lost an hour) so it was as if it was 6:45 am.  It was dark until 7:56 am.  The game started around 8:00 am.  Robert was the first one on the field.  We practiced shots under pressure.

This game started out very well.  Robert also started this game as a center midfielder.  The team held their positions and composure.  They played smart soccer passing the ball to the open person.  It was a relief after the last two games, but then the other team scored on a corner kick.  Our goalie misjudged a high ball and they kicked it in. 

Look at the size difference

We were okay after that - until they quickly turned the ball over and scored a second goal.  Essentially, after that the score wouldn't matter because we stopped believing we could get the game back into our posession.  Some players continued to try but others had given up.  The final score was 0-6.  It was not a happy way to end the tournament.