Weekly Blog #4 (Soccer is Over)

Episcopal Knights' Soccer season of 2011-2012 had the most losses in the regular season in school history. Everyone would look at this and think that the team was horrible, but we truly were very good. Our final record was 8-17 in regular season. Twelve of the seventeen losses were by one goal. Three of the remaining five losses were by two goals, and the other two losses were by three or more goals. The teams we played were very challenging 5A schools that have won championships. If anyone were to look past our record to how we lost and to what teams we lost to, then we would have more respect than we do now.

Playoffs came around, and everyone that knew about us ranked us in the top 10 for the state. However, it is the bottom-feeder schools that ruined our seeding. All they saw was our record and gave us a terrible rank. These people dropped us to rank 16. This Saturday at 3:00 was our first playoff game. The weather was terrible, and it was pretty much like playing underwater soccer. We were playing the Lusher Lions, another very talented team that got messed up in the seeding like we did. If we were to beat them, we would have gone on to play the number one team in the state, Country Day, but that did not happen this season.  William James and Austin Couvillion scored for us. Austin's goal was really special. It was 2-1 with twenty seconds left in regular time, and if it was not for Austin's free kick with seconds left until the end of the season, we would not have gotten a shot at the Lions in overtime. Austin nailed the free kick and the regulation time ended ten seconds after.

Overtime was intense, and the field remained sloppy. The score stayed level after the first, second, and third overtimes. After the fourth overtime, they game would have gone into penalty kicks and the destiny of the season would have been changed. However, the Lions scored with fifteen seconds left in the last overtime. Fifteen more seconds would have changed the season, but they scored off of a cross and the season came to an emotional end. The final score was Lusher (3) Episcopal-Br (2) (Golden Goal).

The 2011-2012 season was a great one that came to an emotional end, but next year will be more successful. We are losing no seniors, and everyone is growing and getting better. The year after that will be legendary, mark my words.