Though the sun was bright the temperature during the game rapidly was on the decline and averaged about +5 but that did not lower the spirits of both teams in this junior exhibition soccer match Thursday afternoon.
The Carrot River girls were enthusiastic and ready for the action and when I left the game with about fifteen minutes remaining they were ahead one to nil.
The Tisdale girls ranged from grade six to grade nine and were not only excited in the play on the field but brought with them their three male
cheerleaders
(bottom left inthe phone on the right) who kept the sideline action at a noisy peek for most of the game.
The brisk breeze actually made it pretty chilly on the side lines but in the game there was far to much action to feel the bite of the South Western 18 knots of wind. However, the short pants looked a little on the cool side for me. By the half way point in the game those legs were looking pretty pink.
The skill levels for both teams was surprisingly higher then expected and that is a tribute to the coaching and determination of the players to master the sport. Compared with the senior girls the game moves slower but the intensity more then made up for the lower strength levels and lower running speeds. The picture below is an obvious combination picture with the Tisdale goalie seen at the beginning of the game and the scene she saw looking West down the field as the game was about to start.
This picture was taken only moments after the one above and the ball has not been yet put into play as the Tisdale team is in position and those are the best socks on the field.
Though only a few brave fans were on the bleachers there were cars all around the field as supporters were there to
lend their
support to the team'sefforts. Family and friends either bundled up on the sidelines or peering through their windshields at the play on the field.
The last two pictures were taken near the end of the game with Carrot River dominating play but the Tisdale defense doing a good job of keeping the ball out of the goal. The bottom picture is shot from the goal line looking East with the long dark shadows of late afternoon slicing across the playing field.
