September is for Soccer

September arrived and soccer started fast and furious.  Luke had games on Tuesdays, Ruby on Thursdays, and then they both had games on Saturdays. In about 5 weeks the kids had 10 games each so we spent plenty of time at the soccer fields and absolutely loved watching them play.

Ruby was so excited to have two friends on her team - it was great to start out with her already knowing Oonagh and Chloe.  Chloe's mom, Tara, was the coach and we felt so fortunate to have Ruby on her team.  Last season I watched her coach another team and was so impressed that I worked to try to get Ruby on her team this year.  She was the best coach,  and I couldn't believe how much Ruby learned and how her skills improved in a very short period of time.  

Luke was equally excited to start the season and landed on a team full of boys from our neighborhood  They had an assigned coach, but he was often out of town so Tim ended up stepping in and coaching for most of the games. Luke loved having Tim as a coach but this season was a little tough for him and he got discouraged a little discouraged that he didn't score as often as the other boys.  Because he is in first grade, Luke moved up to an all boys team with a bigger field and a dedicated goalie and a lot of the boys were pretty skilled and quite aggressive.  Luke is so sweet and polite and had a hard time getting in the mix with all of the other boys on the field.  We had a lot of conversations about how he could improve and whether he wanted to keep playing.  I'm not sure that he is convinced that he had fun this season so we'll see next spring if he decides to play.

Ruby's coach spent a lot of time teaching specific skills and strategies.  Ruby learned a lot about defense and prided herself on chasing down balls and trying to stop other players from scoring.  Sometimes she actually got a little too aggressive and we did have to teach her not to pull on the other kids' jerseys.  I have to say though that it was pretty awesome to see be so competitive.

One of the best Saturdays was when Grandma, Miles, Gavin and Juniper came to watch the games.  It was so fun to have family there and the kids loved having their cousins as part of the cheering squad.

At her game on September 13th Ruby scored a goal.  Even better , she chased down several balls and stopped at least one goal.  It has been so fun to watch her figure out the game - she watches what others do, and really listens to her coach's instructions.

Luke's team played so many tough games.  He and his buddies played hard, but still found plenty of time for fun.  Whenever Luke was on defense, it seemed like he and the other defender with him spent a lot of their time dancing or looking for treasures in the grass.  They may not have been as interested in the game as the coach would have liked, but at least they had a good time together.

And really, the best part of every game was the treats!

This little girl is fierce!

Goalie was not Luke's favorite position, but he was always willing to take his turn.

Provo City soccer doesn't do professional team photos, but the team moms always try to make sure that we get a good shot of the team.  Luke's team tolerated the photo....

Ruby was more than happy to be the star

Her coach had to miss the last game so Coach Tim to the rescue.