Jen Agueci, a junior on the Wright State women's soccer team, is the Women's Soccer correspondent for the HLN Blog.
Inches.
It's what I've realized soccer is all about. Whether your gaining an inch or losing one, it can determine whether or not you score a goal...or worse, whether you win or lose.
The beginning of each season is like a blank canvas. You have the chance to create an incredible masterpiece...an unrepeatable piece of art...but there are always setbacks and failures that sometimes stop you from doing exactly what it is you had planned. And, so far, things haven't gone as planned for us. We entered our game with Loyola on Wednesday having no wins and a tie. Although Loyola was essentially in the same boat, they had played some stronger competition. I think both teams not only felt the heat from the weather, but also some heat in the form of pressure to find some success on the field.
Both teams had an equal amount of opportunities...there were moments where Loyola had possession and there were breaks when Wright State had possession. There was some good flicks, good runs, strong defense on both sides, and a lot of speedy offense. I remember looking at the clock when it read 3:15 in the second half...and telling myself, "We need to win this game...we have to win this game!"
Britney Persaud calmly took the ball in the 18 and finally did what we had been longing to do for so long...SCORE! After we broke the scoreless tie, the game turned into a kicking match for the last 3 minutes, as both teams fought to make something happen.
Both teams had two of their best players absent...we graduated our senior "playmaker" while Loyola didn't have their "goal scorer" due to injury. What both teams were able to prove, however, is that when you lose such a presence on the field, your teammates step up. With a little more from each person, it's easier to make up for such a large loss.
All in all, it felt amazing to finally WIN. But, this is only the start to a long battle. This Sunday we continue league play against Valparaiso. It‘s going to be a war!
