Austen 3; Uncle Mark 0

I'd be remiss if I didn't write about Austen and Uncle Mark playing against each other the past three years. As soon as Austen made Varsity sophomore year, Mark and Austen's coach agreed to play each other over the course of the next three years. 

Austen holds up the #3

And, this past year was the last year they will do so. We had the entire family come out for the festivities which was so fun and nice of them! 

Austen scored the first goal for his team who went on to secure a 3-0 victory (it may have been their team's first win). And, that made it three years in a row that they beat Uncle Mark's team. Austen may or may not have scored in every single one of those games. 

The best part is that over the course of the past three years, he told none of his teammates that he was playing against his uncle. And even after the final whistle in their last game together, he still didn't divulge any details - typical Austen. 

It's been a great and memorable three years of playing against each other. Thanks for setting that in motion  Uncle Mark!

The fans

More fans

Austen's cheer squad

Austen's Senior Soccer Season

I've refrained from writing about Austen's senior high school soccer season because the start of it was a difficult one. Not necessarily for Austen but for their team. Never in 14 years of Austen playing have I seen a coach treat players so unfairly and silence them when they tried to talk to him. 

Let me begin by saying that Austen was not the one being treated unfairly. The coach has been fair to him and treated him pretty well over the course of the past few years. But this year, Austen is one of three captains. This is nothing new to him as he's been a captain for his Club team over the past three years with three different coaches and never have I seen a coach not collaborate with his captains. 

Senior Year 2024

First, I must go back to the beginning. Never in the history of this team has he taken 8 freshman and sophomores on the Varsity team. Usually it's 1-3 sophomores each year. Austen was one of two taken his sophomore year so was less than thrilled that he took that many this year, and players whom he didn't think had the skills to compete at the Varsity level at this time. 

And, he wasn't wrong. Not sure what I was seeing the first game as the coach actually played these freshman and sophomores while the juniors and seniors, who I knew were more skilled sat the bench (and not because they were late or disrespectful). Just because. We end up losing that game by several goals. I chalk it up to the coach trying to figure things out but couldn't fathom why those good players were sitting the bench over kids who couldn't even trap the ball (I'm not kidding). 

Second game, we lose by several more goals to a 2A team (we are 3A - big difference). He does much of the same playing these young players. The upperclassmen are livid after the game. The captains ask to speak to him. He says no. They ask to speak to him before the next game. He says no. These kids are frustrated and have been silenced by their coach. Something doesn't seem quite right here. Austen expresses his frustration to me after the game. The coach approaches us (bad move by him) and asks if there's anything else he can help Austen with. Really? You just told my kid you wouldn't speak to him and now you approach us and ask us that? Austen says no but the coach has approached us so I feel like that gives me the perfect excuse to ask him if he's trying to ruin their Senior Year. I don't say exactly who shouldn't be playing but I do tell him who should be. The boys cheer after I'm done and I think more about how this is no one's season but theirs and they haven't even been given a fair chance. 

The next game is better (because he barely plays the freshman and sophomores) and we tie a good team. Then he continues to play the freshman and sophomores the next few games and we lose to teams we've never lost to in Austen's four years of playing high school soccer. I want to scream because it's that obvious who should and shouldn't be playing especially when you aren't winning! So you need to change and try different things. The AD gets involved. Another senior quits the team. Parents are upset and seething all at the same time. I can't even believe my kid needs to try to lead a team through this shit show of coaching. 

Finally, after way too many games have gone by and our record is 1-6-1, he puts in the players he should have been playing all along. Miraculously, we start winning and we don't stop. We knock off teams that are ranked. Is it pretty soccer? No, it's not and we aren't all that skilled but this team - these seniors who I saw all play together as freshman -  have a hell of a lot of chemistry together and they have grit. That will get them somewhere. That somewhere is hopefully a conference championship. With three games to go to clinch, they have their eyes set securely on that title. 

This is what I always thought they could be and the team that I enjoyed watching as freshman. They truly play for each other - something that their freshman coach instilled in them. And, I hope they get to see that conference championship come to fruition for their hard work and perseverance in the face of a more than difficult beginning.  

A big win beating their conference rivals

Austen on the pitch