SATURDAY & SUNDAY 12/1-2/2007 - The final score in game Three of the Copa Del Rey Tournament was 1-0 as the Spirits barely got beaten by Brentwood Konfusion. It had come down to the final game to determine who was going to the championship game against Sac Storm. Both the Spirits and Konfusion were neck and neck, both being undefeated in the tournament. To add more drama to the game, Konfusion had lost the championship game to the Spirits in the NorCal tournament two weeks prior, and were looking for payback.
Konfusion is a powerful team. They are in the District IV CYSL League. During this past season they did not lose a single game, and had only five goals scored against them all year. You can imagine it was a bitter defeat to actually lose their first game of the year to the Spirits at NorCal. Vengence was theirs as they came out fighting and kept the ball near our goal for much of the game. The defenders and keeper had their jobs cut out for them.
The conditions were not ideal, and ultimately led to the loss of the game. There was a very strong wind running lengthways to the field. There were also some terrible ruts in the field that actually helped save a goal.
Midway through the first half a ball caught Allie away from the net and it sailed over her head for a near-certain goal. When it hit the ground, it actually hit one of the large ruts in the field and instead of easily bouncing into the goal - bounced straight up for Allie to catch it preventing the score.
The strong and gusty wind was into the Spirits goal the first half, along with the sun in the eyes of the keeper. The second half had the wind at the keepers back, but that did not deter Konfusion from shooting on goal. One ball hit the post so hard it bounced right back to their center forward who popped it over the top of the oversized goal. But late in the game it was the wind that helped the ball and dropped it into the goal.
Number 4 for Konfusion is their star player. Kelly is also one of the more physical and aggressive players around. Spirits worked hard to keep her tangled up, but in the last moments of the game she was given a golden opportunity. Kelly got the ball about 30 yards out from the goal. Our players expected her to charge again, right up the middle, so they gaver her some space and that gave Kelly time to set up the perfect kick. She had plenty of time, aimed and simply booted one right into the wind. Had the wind not been gusting at that moment the ball would have sailed well over the tall goal. But the ball slowed and got pushed down, just inside the upper bar. Here is a very interesting graphic showing the kick.
The Spirits got fired up and got the ball down to the other end of the field and had an opportunity to even the score but time ran out in the game. A hand ball was called against Konfusion which put the ball near the goal circle, giving Spirits the chance to pop one into the goal. The wind was at Kristina's back, and their goalie was short and not very practiced. The top of the goal is 8 feet above the ground, virtually undefensible, and it seemed like a guaranteed goal. But as Kristina lined up for the kick the buzzer sounded and ended the game just a few seconds too soon.
A tie would have been nice, but it would not have changed the results of the tournament, as Konfusion came into the game with a one point lead in the standings.
So Konfusion won against the Spirits 1-0, a mirror image of the NorCal game when we beat them 1-0. It seems a rivalry has been forged.
The only pictures in the album are from Saturday, posted on the Picasa site.
Game summary by Don (Allie's Dad)
Archive of Super Saturday on 11/10/2007
Archive of Boo-Fest 2007 on 10/27/2007
Archive of Mudbath 07 - Placer in Granit Bay on 10/20/07
Archive of "Four Games - One Day" on 10/6/2007
Archive of Sonoma State Harvest Cup on 9/30/2007
Archive of Sac United Game Report on 9/23/07
Archive of Davis Game Report on 9/16/07