U15 Girls Renegades – TBays Autumn Classic Finalists 2011

You could call it a heart breaker.
You could call it a finals shootout loss.
Or you could call it a success…

The 7:30 start on Saturday brought about challenges.
Driving to the pitch in the dark with the temperature a crisp 37 degrees and a hard frost on the turf.
Cold start but Renegades besting their Gators opponent handily with a 3-1 victory.

The sun warmed things up and the afternoon game again brought victory 2-1 over a snarky Carpathia Kickers team.
Looking like finals eminent the team needed to tie or win the third and final scheduled game to insure a spot in the championship game.

Game three: Renegades down by two goals to WAZA with less than nine minutes.
It seemed like the finals were only going to be a mathematical possibility and a remote one at that.
A break away goal brought the Renegades within a goal with ample time on the clock.
As regulation seemed to evaporate another miraculous breakaway goal with 9 seconds left.
FINALS here we come.

Set for finals Renegades realize that the team they are facing is a team they had seen in Bowling Green in the spring.
That tournament brought about a loss in the finals to a chippy San Marino Liberties team.
Renegades planned on avenging the Bowling Green loss in Canton as they were undefeated and un-scored upon waiting for the finals when the deluge canceled the finals games. They were scheduled to meet San Marino in the finals.

Stage set, rivalry running deep sun shining the match begins.
San Marino strikes first with Renegades quickly returning the favor.
Again, time evaporates and regulation ends in a 1-1 tie despite many Renegade opportunities.
Two 5 minute overtime sessions end-again still tied 1-1 with Renegades applying most of the pressure.
Time for PK’s
Both teams throughout the match had featured superb keeper performances.
San Marino was finding the corners despite the Renegade goalie having a hand on virtually every shot.
In the end San Marino won the PK shootout and ultimately the game.

Lots of opinions on PK’s determining the outcome of a 70 minute match and mine is that it is just not a fair representation of team play.
The Renegades spent the weekend demonstrating their ability to play as a team.
They pushed and pulled each other and their fans to get where they did.
They should be very proud of what they accomplished.