Wildcats Bully the Bulldogs

At the end of week 3 in our U-10 soccer league we were in first place, and the Bulldogs were in second place. They had not lost a game since losing the opener to us, 3-0. They were tough and tenacious, and if they could beat us, they would move into a first-place tie.

We played each other on Saturday, September 27.

It was a swell morning for soccer, and our girls looked swell in their new Wildcat shirts, which I had just picked up from the shop the day before. We were missing one girl, so we had to play with eight.

Neither team scored during the early part of the game, but then Wendy broke through the Bulldog defense and booted a goal. 1-0, Wildcats.

The Bulldogs don't give up, though, and they came back with a goal of their own, tying the score at 1-all. Mallory, and then Wendy, played a strong first half at goalie, scooping up several shot attempts. Towards the end of the half Mallory maneuvered her way through their defenders, and smacked in a goal. The half ended 2-1, Wildcats.

Mallory kicked another one in early in the second half, putting the Cats up 3-1. Meanwhile, Linda was playing an excellent goalie, and the other girls were thwarting Bulldog scoring drives again and again, clearing the ball, stealing the ball, and moving it to our opponent's end of the field. But the Dogs kept coming, and finally scored another goal. Now it was Wildcats 3, Bulldogs 2. There was still a lot of time left on the clock. The tension mounted.

Then Wendy, who had been lobbying to get back on the offensive line, (I'd been playing her as defender, to tighten up our defense), finally got her wish, and got the ball, too. With determination in her eyes, she drove the ball downfield, with three Bulldogs on her heels. The two Bulldog defenders came up to meet her, but she deftly dribbled past them, and sent a solid shot right into the net, past their diving goalie. Wildcats 4, Bulldogs 2.

And that's how the game ended. So the Cats are still undefeated, with a record of 4-0, and the Bulldogs are now tied with the Mustangs at 2-2. It's warm in the cellar, because that's where The Heat are, with a record of 0-4.

Next up are the Mustangs, on Thursday.

Don't you wish you were there to see it?

Here's a handful of photos I shot during the action on Saturday (click on the photo to enlarge):

Warming up:

Kickoff:

Mallory snares the ball:

Wendy drives towards the goal (she scored on this one):

End of the game:

The girl's run through our first "Parent's Arch":

The wonderful Wildcats