the final match

Sunday the team awoke in Redondo Beach instead of Temecula to play our fourth and final game in only three days. This final team is a semi-professional team based in Los Angeles, California which includes a roster stacked with ex-pac 10 college players and even professional soccer players as well. Legs heavy and brains taxed, we took the field to start our final game, while these talented girls were playing for the first time all weekend.
We stayed up with them for the first 10 minutes, but as that tenth minute came to a close, the girls seemed to progressively slow down, despite eager legs. The schedule had depleted all of our energy by this point, but we kept fighting.
Almost 35 minutes into the first half, the Ajax girls finally put one away against us off of a corner kick. It was a beautifully run play in which one player checked to the corner only to dummy the ball to the top of the box, where another girl easily finished on frame with her left foot, upper-v.
Second half began and the Ajax girls scored another goal. We were just barely breathing and moving at this point, however, we finished the game.
Even though this game was not a win for us, it was an honor to play alongside girls who made it to the professional league. The talent, skill, and understanding of team role were inspiring and a true learning experience for our young team. Overall, we did not walk away from our trip to California with four wins, but we did walk away with invaluable experience and a new understanding of what it takes to win.