So Long GU12 Academy

 Another soccer season has come to an end and GU12 Academy celebrated with a party at SkyHigh.  Unfortunately, Allison's back was still a little tight, so she couldn't jump around too much.  She did have fun playing pool and air hockey!

 The kids ate pizza

 and cake

and Coach Charlie presented each girl with a DVD of the season and a mini soccer ball. Allison and Olivia also got iTunes gift cards for their roles as Captains.  

Everyone contributed to this fun gift card bouquet to thank Charlie for all of his hard work and dedication to the team this season.  The girls grew as players on the field and as friends and they are excited to have most return for their U13 season...

State Cup Weekend #2- San Marcos

We were back for our second weekend of State Cup…this time much closer in San Marcos!  

Allison and Liv shaking hands and meeting their opponents and referees.  

 Coach told Allison she would be playing the whole game in goal.  Love the intensity on her punts!

 We took a nice 2-0 lead early, but went into halftime up 2-1.  SC Athletic tied it up, forcing a 20 minute OT.  Unfortunately, on Allison's punt right before the whistle, her back went out and she couldn't play during the OT period.  I stretched her out while the girls took the field.  Reanna put in two beautiful goals in the first 10 minutes and we won!!

We advanced to this morning's Sweet Sixteen and faced Coronado.  Even after the hot tub, ICY HOT and lots of stretching, Allison still wasn't feeling strong enough to play.  Too much on the line for her to play not feeling 100%.  She sat on the bench to cheer on her team, but they came up short and lost 2-0 to end their season.  The girls have a lot to be proud of and finished the season off strong.  

I know some changes are coming for this group as they enter the U13 season with tryouts tomorrow, but we are excited to see what happens after coach  gives them a well-deserved few weeks off!

State Cup : Weekend 1 in Ventura

It was a 4:30am wake up call for our 2 1/2 hour drive to Ventura for Allison's weekend of State Cup bracket play.  Although early and far away, it was so much nicer than Lancaster!!

 The first game was at 9:30am against UIFC Fierce and the teams tied 1-1.

We had a few hours between games so we just had a picnic at the field.  The big sisters had a very relaxing weekend supporting their little sisters!

Kaia came along too and was so good!! She loved being at the field and loved having Lindsey play with her and walk her.  She did great in the hotel and loved chasing the girls around the pool area and tennis courts!  She was one pooped pooch by the end of each day!

 Game #2 was at 1:50pm against the Eagles Soccer Club.  Allison plays a little on the field the first half of every game, but is so strong in the goal the 2nd half.  She did great challenging the ball, kicking great punts and being a very confident keeper.  The Hawks won 3-2!

 We celebrated the great day of soccer with a night at Topper's Pizza.  The girls being goofy with spoons on their noses.

After dinner, we all went to the hotel to hot tub and play some soccer tennis on the tennis courts.  Although these girls love playing soccer, I love the friendships and memories they make off the field too!

 Today, we didn't have to be at the field until 2:10 for our final game so we had a relaxing morning, breakfast in the lobby and then a little time at the pool before lunch.  Allison swam with Turbo, Anika and Eve.

 Besties!

 Before heading to the field, we went to the Ventura Marina for lunch at Fisherman's Catch.

 Big sisters and little sisters who all love soccer!

 The afternoon game was a fierce competition against the Mission Viejo Pateadores.  We were given a little hint to watch player #9. If we could contain her, we could control the game.  For 55 minutes, it was a back and forth battle with no goals scored.  Unfortunately, #9 broke through down the middle of the field and scored.  Less than 2 minutes later, she did it again and we lost 2-0.  Fortunately, the top two teams from our bracket advance to next weekend and we had enough points to be in 2nd place.  We will play in the Round of 32 next weekend in San Marcos…GREAT JOB HAWKS!!!

Great Oak Soccer

Today was the last game of the high school soccer season.  Great Oak finished with a record of 6 wins, 1 loss and 3 ties in league and had a first place and second place finish in their two tournaments.

Taylor was a starter and strong presence as the left midfielder and her coaches relied on her quite a bit to be a game changer.  She thoroughly enjoyed her time on the team and is sad to see it come to an end.  She bonded well with the girls and loved their pasta dinners the night before each game.  She will return to her Legends team to start practicing for State Cup and will anxiously await the next high school season to begin next year!

Seaport Village

I have lots of sympathy for the rest of the country and we continue to experience the most beautiful winter! It was a perfect 75 degrees today in So Cal so we packed up the bikes and spent the afternoon in Seaport Village.

The girls rode bikes while Matt, Kaia and I walked behind. 

 The views were gorgeous in every direction and the weather was just perfect.  We had a delicious lunch at Joe's Crab Shack and Kaia was so well behaved on the patio.

 We went along the marina and can't wait to return to the Hilton in June for our conference.

Kaia was wiped out after walking a few miles, but has been such a good puppy on all of our outings!