The Earthquakes Win Again and the WildKatz Debut

The clock read 5:38am as I made my way down the hall and stirred the little one. He quickly got dressed and we zipped back through Vallectios and made our way to the event. The event was on 15th in Morgan Hill. It was a youth soccer event spanning 19 fields. Each team was to play three games. Livermore was very well represented by teams from both of Livermore's youth soccer clubs, Fusion FC and West Coast SC. It was billed as a "play date." This means that there were three games without playoffs or championships. Although scores are kept, the standings do not matter as there are no trophies or prizes. It is basically a day for the kids (and parents) to bond while enjoying a day of soccer.

The rain from the previous day made for slick fields and a lot of fun. It sprinkled a bit in the morning, but cleared up by the final afternoon game. Since our game was an early one, we had fairly good parking and were on the freeway pretty quickly. As we crossed over from 101 north to 680 north, I heard the gentle sound of my son snoring. When I looked in the rear view mirror, I could see he had his goalie gloves on still and his soccer ball was firmly in his grasp. He never lets it go. 

The week after was filled with four soccer practices for the older one and then a San Jose Earthquakes match on Saturday night. The Earthquakes won again. It was their second home victory of the year. When the final whistle blew we screamed as loudly as our already hoarse throats would allow. But there was one moment that was even more exciting then that.

Right before the game started, Earthquake player Ryan Johnson kicked a ball from the field into the stands. My little goalkeeper caught it! He squealed with delight and jumped up and down for what seemed like ten minutes. After the excitement calmed down, he then realized the ball was signed by the entire team.  If he was tired from a hard week of practice and school, it did not show. As a mater of fact, he is still beaming four days later.   

The day after the Earthquakes game, we slept in. But I did rise in time to take in the second of the The West Coast Wildkatz weekend games. They had two games this past weekend. I missed the first as it coincided with the Earthquakes games the night before.

But I am sure glad  I made the game on Sunday. The Wildkatz are the newest team to be playing in the Woman's Professional Soccer League. The WPSL is the second division of Woman's Soccer in the United States. They play their games right here in Livermore at Granada High School. The Wildkatz dominated for most of the game. But they found themselves down 2-1 half way through the 2nd half. 

With 11 minutes left, Brooke Rittman earned a corner on the left side of the field. Number 2, Kelly Lewandowski finished in the scrum. The Wildkatz completed the game with a tie for the second time in as many days. Not too shabby for their inaugural weekend.

When I got home on Sunday afternoon, my wife was giggling while doing chores around the house. Apparently, my older son had just come out of the bathroom and was walking down the hall. He was holding the ball he caught over the weekend. He never lets it go.

Do you have a soccer related question? Want to read an interview with a local soccer hero? Is there certain coverage that you've wanted to see regarding soccer in our area? You can contact me at roundballrocker@yahoo.com

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