Team Detail
Finals vs St James
There are days in history that you know you won't forget. Days when something special happens with a special group of people. This was one of those days.
The Calvert Mighty Bees showed up to the championship game today with a sense of calm and confidence. We were playing in a championship game that was a rematch of a game we won handily not one month ago. The game got off to a perfect start, as we scored in just the 3rd minute of the game. Stevens took a corner and placed it perfectly into the center of the box. Tucker was in the right place and just used her body to deflect the ball in. Just like that, we had an advantage, but this classic bout was just beginning.
With the excitement from the first goal still fresh, SJA had their opportunity to answer on a corner of their own. The ball swung in and bounced a couple times before they got on the end of it and finished it easily. The score was tied.
What happened next would have been the biggest talking point of the game had it ended differently. Marsiglia was doing an excellent job being physical and jockeying for position with a SJA attacker in the box. Both sides were pushing, but nothing that would warrant a foul in any situation. However, the call came in from 50 yards away from the play as a foul was given and it was a penalty kick for St James. Disbelief hung in the air like a thick fog, but the call was made. Athey did an excellent job almost making the save, but after a bounce off the crossbar we were now looking at a one goal deficit. The rest of the half went by without much fanfare. Athey pulled off a few strong saves and the defense, led by Bramble and Rodgers, held strong, but no more goals came and we had our halftime score.
We had two main goals during half. First, was to get over the penalty call, as it was still being discussed. There was nothing we could do about it now, and we had to move on if we wanted to stand a chance. The other thing we needed was to stop giving their best players so much time on the ball. With those two things in mind, we went into the second half knowing we had the type of team that can come back and win any game.
Just like the first half, we started the second half off strong. In the 31st minute we knotted the score again. Once again Stevens had the assist, this time with a big cross over to Tobin the right wing. As she's done nine other times this season, Tobin scored her 10th, tying a single season record while also tying this game. Unfortunately, the lead didn't last long. Just seven minutes later, SJA pulled back ahead and we were faced with needing a comeback for the second time today. For some teams, this is where they begin to wilt. For Calvert, it was time to dig deep and show once again what we're made of.
After going down again, we decided to switch things up and abandon our second defensive midfielder for a second striker. We knew it was no time to play it safe after all. This left Wilson alone as cover for our defense as the five players ahead of her focused on scoring. It was a difficult position to put her in, but we knew we could trust her. It was time for a hero to emerge.
Down to just 8 minutes left, Tobin had the ball on the wing. All season long, this has been the start to good things for us. Tobin beat one, then two defenders down the sideline. On the second one though, the defender knocked her down as she tried to hurdle the tackle and a foul was given approximately 30 yards away from the goal. With the confidence of a Beckham or Ronaldo, Stevens came to the spot and stood over the ball, surely picturing the heavenly shot she was about to unleash. She took a few steps, sent her foot through the ball, and perfectly placed an absolute cracker of a goal just underneath the crossbar. What a way to score your first goal of the season! The score was tied, but we weren't ready to close the book on this story yet.
With the excitement still pulsing through our veins, we knew we needed one more to avoid overtime. We kept the pressure on SJA and forced them into a turnover before getting the ball back into their penalty area. This time, they tried to clear it, but it only got as far as Stevens. She was just outside the box and on the right edge. Without hesitating and barely taking the time to size it up, Stevens was ready to put her name in stone. This time, she took a low shot that made its way through an endless forest of legs. This probably had the benefit of clouding the keepers vision. As the ball shot out the other side of the mob, it found its way in the opposite bottom corner. We had done it! We held a 4-3 advantage with just minutes to go. All that was left to do was hold on.
Those final five minutes were long and stressful. Tucker moved from her position of striker to play as a third center back while Stevens moved from attacking midfield to defensive mid. It was a constant scramble, but we did just enough to keep clearing it up to our attackers, who did a great job wasting away the minutes despite not having any numbers. The whistle finally blew and our victory was secured! After losing to St James last year, we had reclaimed our title as BAC champions and the celebration was on.
In my years of coaching this soccer team, this was the most exciting match I've ever been a part of and a deserving finish to a special team and a special group of 8th graders. The resilience these girls showed all year was incredible, and I'm so proud of all the hard work they put in to reclaim this title. Our 6th and 7th graders learned a lot from them, and I'm sure they'll keep the memory of this class alive in their attempt to defend our championship next year. As for this one, I want to thank all of the girls for giving me and Coach Glover their best every day. To our 8th Graders, good luck and congratulations. To our younger players, let's run it back next year!
Goals
Tucker 2'
Tobin 31'
Stevens 43', 45'
Back
The Calvert Mighty Bees showed up to the championship game today with a sense of calm and confidence. We were playing in a championship game that was a rematch of a game we won handily not one month ago. The game got off to a perfect start, as we scored in just the 3rd minute of the game. Stevens took a corner and placed it perfectly into the center of the box. Tucker was in the right place and just used her body to deflect the ball in. Just like that, we had an advantage, but this classic bout was just beginning.
With the excitement from the first goal still fresh, SJA had their opportunity to answer on a corner of their own. The ball swung in and bounced a couple times before they got on the end of it and finished it easily. The score was tied.
What happened next would have been the biggest talking point of the game had it ended differently. Marsiglia was doing an excellent job being physical and jockeying for position with a SJA attacker in the box. Both sides were pushing, but nothing that would warrant a foul in any situation. However, the call came in from 50 yards away from the play as a foul was given and it was a penalty kick for St James. Disbelief hung in the air like a thick fog, but the call was made. Athey did an excellent job almost making the save, but after a bounce off the crossbar we were now looking at a one goal deficit. The rest of the half went by without much fanfare. Athey pulled off a few strong saves and the defense, led by Bramble and Rodgers, held strong, but no more goals came and we had our halftime score.
We had two main goals during half. First, was to get over the penalty call, as it was still being discussed. There was nothing we could do about it now, and we had to move on if we wanted to stand a chance. The other thing we needed was to stop giving their best players so much time on the ball. With those two things in mind, we went into the second half knowing we had the type of team that can come back and win any game.
Just like the first half, we started the second half off strong. In the 31st minute we knotted the score again. Once again Stevens had the assist, this time with a big cross over to Tobin the right wing. As she's done nine other times this season, Tobin scored her 10th, tying a single season record while also tying this game. Unfortunately, the lead didn't last long. Just seven minutes later, SJA pulled back ahead and we were faced with needing a comeback for the second time today. For some teams, this is where they begin to wilt. For Calvert, it was time to dig deep and show once again what we're made of.
After going down again, we decided to switch things up and abandon our second defensive midfielder for a second striker. We knew it was no time to play it safe after all. This left Wilson alone as cover for our defense as the five players ahead of her focused on scoring. It was a difficult position to put her in, but we knew we could trust her. It was time for a hero to emerge.
Down to just 8 minutes left, Tobin had the ball on the wing. All season long, this has been the start to good things for us. Tobin beat one, then two defenders down the sideline. On the second one though, the defender knocked her down as she tried to hurdle the tackle and a foul was given approximately 30 yards away from the goal. With the confidence of a Beckham or Ronaldo, Stevens came to the spot and stood over the ball, surely picturing the heavenly shot she was about to unleash. She took a few steps, sent her foot through the ball, and perfectly placed an absolute cracker of a goal just underneath the crossbar. What a way to score your first goal of the season! The score was tied, but we weren't ready to close the book on this story yet.
With the excitement still pulsing through our veins, we knew we needed one more to avoid overtime. We kept the pressure on SJA and forced them into a turnover before getting the ball back into their penalty area. This time, they tried to clear it, but it only got as far as Stevens. She was just outside the box and on the right edge. Without hesitating and barely taking the time to size it up, Stevens was ready to put her name in stone. This time, she took a low shot that made its way through an endless forest of legs. This probably had the benefit of clouding the keepers vision. As the ball shot out the other side of the mob, it found its way in the opposite bottom corner. We had done it! We held a 4-3 advantage with just minutes to go. All that was left to do was hold on.
Those final five minutes were long and stressful. Tucker moved from her position of striker to play as a third center back while Stevens moved from attacking midfield to defensive mid. It was a constant scramble, but we did just enough to keep clearing it up to our attackers, who did a great job wasting away the minutes despite not having any numbers. The whistle finally blew and our victory was secured! After losing to St James last year, we had reclaimed our title as BAC champions and the celebration was on.
In my years of coaching this soccer team, this was the most exciting match I've ever been a part of and a deserving finish to a special team and a special group of 8th graders. The resilience these girls showed all year was incredible, and I'm so proud of all the hard work they put in to reclaim this title. Our 6th and 7th graders learned a lot from them, and I'm sure they'll keep the memory of this class alive in their attempt to defend our championship next year. As for this one, I want to thank all of the girls for giving me and Coach Glover their best every day. To our 8th Graders, good luck and congratulations. To our younger players, let's run it back next year!
Goals
Tucker 2'
Tobin 31'
Stevens 43', 45'
Calvert School is a coed independent lower and middle school.
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