This weekend was our second to last All Stars tournament here in the slo town. Yesterday it was perfectly sunny and 75. I should have anticipated that it draws teams from hours away.
Based on the large number of teams, we had our first game Friday night. 7PM at the end of the week is not peak time for the Stars. The team seemed sluggish and hesitant. Too much flinching and jumping up with their backs turned. We lost to Atascadero A 2-0. Both goals were just the result of dinking around in the box that nobody clears out. The kind of points that happen after a bunch of nail biting trips and weak kicks and fumbling and hesitation ends with the ball rolling slowly into the net. The boys moped for a bit, but Nate seemed to forget the loss on the drive home.
Saturday morning we were back up and out the door at 7:15AM for a day at Laguna Middle School. I had two shifts– registration and field marshaling. Our first game was against the Paso A team. We played on a field with a big hump in the middle that sloped down toward both goals. Whatever plagued the Stars the night before had evaporated. We got to the ball first. We booted the big boots. We attacked and stopped jumping with our backs turned. Nate got a hat trick. We ended the first game up 7-0.
Then we had a long, long break. How we could get such a bad schedule at our very own tournament is not something I care to examine too deeply. Fortunately, our 4PM game was changed to 3PM and we were up against Nipomo. All the dads and the boys who love calculating scenarios told me we needed to win 3-0. It was an exciting game. Unfortunately, I was on duty as field marshal and had to maintain an air of impartiality in my orange vest. But when Bradley scored, I couldn’t help but whoop.
During the first half, Nate got fouled hard outside the box on the right. A little boy with braids swept his feet and Nate went rolling. Direct kick.
This is the kick that Nate loves to practice on me at Pacheco. For hours. It’s pretty far out. The kind of kick where you have to have a bit of an ego to decide you’re going to take the shot. So what does he do? Of course. He takes the shot. It goes in on the right side of the goal.
Nate’s second goal was during the second half off a corner kick. He arcs it in, like he does and, bop– Keeper somehow straight-arms it right into the net.
Nipomo gets one or two goals in and tensions rise. It’s 3-1. Then it’s 4-2. I’m fairly certain we need to win by 3. Second half Nate gets a breakaway. There’s a guy on his heels but he’s nearing in on the goalie. He keeps his cool and places it in the lower back corner on the right.
Nate subs out for the fourth quarter. We’re all on pins and needles. Cruz’s mom is convinced he’s too tired and should have come out instead. Not 60 seconds later, Cruz gets a breakaway and it’s almost a perfect replay of our last goal. “See?,” I chide her, “Cruz did have a goal in ’em!”
The game ends and we’ve won 5-2. Unfortunately, given Friday night, it’s not enough to get us into Sunday’s final rounds.
After the game, Nate’s walking with his coach’s arm around his shoulder and he seems fuzzy on what’s happened. He’s not sure how many goals he scored, and his coach says, “Nate, you had a two hat trick day!”
Really, there’s almost nothing better than a two hat trick day.