United
Quest Blue
'85 Athena (U-14)
- Spring 2000 Game 8 -
Tied 1-1 vs. Athens Illusion
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United
Quest Blue |
This page was last updated on May 15, 2000.
Game 8 vs. Athens Illusion:
The Quest has faced Athens several times in the past. The two teams are fairly evenly matched, and neither team has ever won by more than 1 goal.
Today's game was definitely in the "big game" category. The Quest are in 8th place in the Athena "B" division, with Athens in 9th place. Georgia Soccer uses a promotion / relegation system: the bottom two teams in the division are relegated into a lower division for the following season.
An Athens win would move them ahead of the Quest into 8th place and force the Quest into a must-win in the team's final game against Tophat 04 Navy. A Quest win or a tie would guarantee the Quest of an 8th place or better finish and would preserve the team's slot in the Athena "B" division for the fall season. (The Cherokee Lady Knights have already finished their schedule and ended up in 10th place.)
The relegation battle was the main story. But there were two additional background stories that would affect the Quest:
- Quest goalkeeper "Big J" (Jessica B) was away with a school orchestra field trip. This meant the Quest would have to use a field player in goal for the first time since the fall 1998 season.
- Amanda was playing in the ALTA youth tennis championship and would be late for the game. With Big J already absent, this meant the Quest would play with 11 players and no substitutes on a very hot day.
The Quest team was also mired in a 4-game losing streak, having been shut out in all four games. All of this could easily have given the Quest players a reason to lack faith, but to their credit, they were unfazed by these potential roadblocks and had a good positive attitude going into the game.
Rachael was selected as the fill-in keeper. Her positive reaction to the assignment was a confidence booster to the whole team.
The Quest got off to an excellent start and kept the ball in the Athens end for much of the first half. Elisa came close with a quick-flick shot that beat the onrushing Athens keeper, but barely missed the corner. Kaelen came close when a ball carried through the goal mouth to the back side, but an Athens player recovered in time to block her shot.
Midway through the first half, Athens had yet to mount a serious attack, and Rachael had not been tested. Things were looking good for the Quest, but the team really needed a goal.
That sounds like a call for Meagan. In the 19th minute, Lindsey won an Athens defensive clearance and played a high lob toward the far post. Meagan and the Athens keeper both rushed toward the ball as it came down from the sky. They both jumped for the ball. The Athens keeper had the advantage, because she could use her hands to get higher than Meagan. But Meagan's leap put her under too much pressure, and she dropped the ball.
Meagan and the keeper both landed and scrambled for the loose ball. In the meantime, an Athens defender rushed in and threw her body into the fray. Meagan somehow leaped over the defender, beat the keeper to the ball and hit a shot on the turn into the near corner. Goal Quest and a 1-0 lead! Lindsey's lob was well-placed, but Meagan was the real story here with her outstanding individual effort and second effort. Great job Meagan!
This gave the Quest a much-needed adrenaline boost. It was hot, and the team had no substitutes, so players need mental energy to supplement dwindling physical energy. Meagan's goal was the perfect tonic.
The Quest kept control for another few minutes, then fatigue started to kick in and Athens began to take control. The final 10 minutes of the first half was mostly Athens on the attack. The Quest's goal was to hold the lead and preserve energy, so the Quest played patient defense and cleared balls down the field rather than trying to build attacks.
Rachael was now being tested in goal, and she was passing the test with flying colors. She looked confident, and she was totally into the game both mentally and physically. Her best save came when she rushed fearlessly into a crowd near the center of the penalty area to knock a loose ball out of danger.
The Quest defense held tight and halftime came with the Quest leading 1-0.
A quick reminder of the main story: the Quest needed a win or a tie. Athens needed a win; a tie wouldn't do them any good. So the 1-0 Quest lead was a huge advantage for the Quest.
The Quest had controlled much of the first half before tiring. The plan for the second half was to try to come out and attack for the first 10-15 minutes and sneak a 2nd goal, then drop extra players back on defense and try to hold the lead.
Unfortunately, Athens didn't cooperate. The Quest wasn't able to re-establish dominance, and the early minutes of the second half were pretty evenly played. Most of the action was in the midfield area.
About 8 minutes into the half, Athens won a loose ball in the right midfield area. A couple of quick passes led to an Athens player getting open at the top of the Quest penalty area. She shot high toward the left corner and scored to tie the game.
The Quest players reacted well. Instead of slumped Quest shoulders, you saw Quest players grabbing the ball from the net and running it back to midfield for the kickoff. This may seem like a little thing, but it shows a "can do" mentality and team spirit that is contagious.
The Quest got another much-needed adrenaline boost when Amanda arrived midway through the half (having just won an ALTA youth tennis title). This meant that the Quest had a substitute and would be able to give a few players a brief rest.
The minutes ticked away, with Athens having a slight advantage in the play. The Quest had some attacks, but none of them developed into scoring situations. Athens had more attacks, but the Quest defenders were doing a good job of preventing any open shots.
With 15 minutes to go, the Quest came inches away from taking a 2-1 lead. Elisa ran onto a pass in the center forward area, but the Athens sweeper was first to the ball. She was facing her own goal, so instead of trying to turn the ball, she played a drop pass back to her keeper. But the pass was a little weak. Elisa raced for the ball as the keeper raced forward. The keeper's only choice was to hit a first-time clearance and hope that Elisa didn't block it.
Elisa did block it! The ball bounced high toward the Athens goal. At first glance, it looked like the ball would carry into the Athens goal. But there was a stiff breeze blowing the other way, and it slowed the ball as it traveled in the air. The ball also had a lot of backspin. When it landed near the goal line, it lost more momentum from the effect of the spin. The Athens sweeper was racing back, and the combination of wind and spin delay gave her just enough time to clear the ball off the goal line.
What a close call! (This was also a wonderful recovery by the Athens sweeper, whose soft back-pass had started the whole chain of events.)
By now the Quest had made some changes. The team was playing a 5-defender system to clog the defensive zone. There was one exciting moment when an Athens player hit a long high cross into the center. But Rachael came out and caught it cleanly.
With 5 minutes remaining, the score was still tied 1-1. Athens still had more of the play, but the extra Quest defender was helping keep them out of danger. Then disaster struck.
An Athens player got through the center of the Quest defense and dribbled toward goal. Rachael raced out from goal to cut off the angle. The Athens player shot. Rachael threw her body sideways to block the shot. The ball came loose in the top center of the penalty area. Charlsey and Lauren had alertly followed the play and had gotten into position to cover the goal. But Rachael scrambled back to her feet and pounced on the rebound to snuff the attack. What a play by Rachael!
Rachael's heroic effort gave the Quest another much-needed adrenaline boost, and the Quest were able to ride this last wave of energy the rest of the match. Athens never really came close again.
The game ended in a 1-1 tie. It's been a while since the Quest showed this level of heart and desire. The Quest ignored two potentially huge distractions (no keeper, no subs) and came out with a strong will, a positive attitude and a "refuse to lose" mentality. Every Quest player made key plays. This performance brings back memories of the team's stretch drive last spring when the Quest overcame every obstacle in its path to earn promotion from Athena "C" into Athena "B." Today's result means the Quest will keep its spot in Athena "B" for the fall. Great job girls!
Goalies: Rachael (full game). The Quest's normal goalie (Jessica, also called "Big J") was away on a school field trip. Rachael stepped up to the challenge and played an outstanding game. She hadn't played keeper since her U-11 days. But she looked like a natural ... she anticipated well, she was decisive, and she was fearless. She made 2 or 3 goal-saving stops, one of them being a huge save when she came out strong to block a shot in a 1v1 situation at the top of the penalty area. Great job Rachael!
With today's tie, the Quest's spring regular season record is now 2 wins, 2 ties and 4 losses. The Quest earns 2 points for the tie and now has 14 points after eight games. The 2 points assure the Quest enough points to stay in the Athena "B" division for the fall. The Quest has one more game remaining. Depending on the result, the Quest will finish as high as 5th place in the division or as low as 8th.
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Created: 09/11/99 Revised: 05/15/00 |