A short happy story of the Wildcats

The Wildcats are the name of the girls teams we have been coaching. Eric and I started with a Div. IV team almost 4 years ago.  In 2007 we enjoyed our kids and parents so much we didn’t want the season to end, so we took the team to play indoor soccer.  Because we signed up so late, we had to play against the boys.

Playing against the boys couldn’t have been better for the girls development because they learned to play physically and pass quicker. The girls didn’t have the same approach to the game as the boys, but we moved the ball well with passes and learned to maintain possession under pressure. It wasn’t easy to lose so often and so completely, but it was good for both the girls and the parents.

We lost every game that season, but you could see the girls progressing tremendously both in their play and on the scoreboard. By the end of the season we were no longer losing 12-0, but only 5 or 6 to 1.

From that season we went into the U10 girls division and went undefeated to win the Championship. It wasn’t easy and we had a couple of really close games but the girls persevered beyond belief. The first time the girls experienced being scored on first, I was curious how they would respond. It was great to see that it didn’t phase them.  We’ve seen it this year too where we’ve been down by 3 or 4 goals by the end of the first half and the girls just poor it on to tie or win the game. We couldn’t be prouder of them. It is one thing to be ahead and win and another to be able to come back from being down.

In 2008 after the outdoor Div. IV season we got most of the girls together again and were going to only have one U10 team. But, a lot of girls wanted to play, so we decided to have two teams, a U12 and a U10. We moved the U10 team to Div. III and the U12 team has played Div. IV the first season and is now in the Div. IV/III combined league. Both teams have done remarkably well.

The U10 team has maintained their undefeated streak and, as of this posting has gone 20-0-2 with two Championships. The U12 team, having only been together for a short while, was the 2nd place finisher in their division. They won the second place after knocking of the 1st seed and playing one of the most emotional and physically draining games I’ve ever been a apart of.

The girls on both teams have come far. The girls work really hard for each other at practice and at the games and we are proud that they are our girls.

UPDATE:

In 2009 the majority of the U10 Wildcats joined SACYSL (Southern Alameda Youth Soccer league). We had a young team and played in the U12 Div. III league. Playing up an age bracket allowed us to fill out our roster to 16 players and add some older girls that had played competitively in the past, as well as some of the older girls that had played indoor with us. Because the coaches were in every imaginable coaching and referee class during the spring we started practice at the end of May 2009.

It would be a difficult year for our team, being younger, 70% of the girls were 10, and it was the first year on the full size field playing 11v11 and it was the first year together for all but 8 of the girls. We worked hard, but I don’t think the girls understood what it meant to compete at this level. They had always been at the top in indoor and in Div. IV, so the first tournament was a surprise for them. See the Placerville Tournament review for more on this eye-opening experience.

The girls came a long way during the season. Their fitness levels reached new heights and so did their ability and understanding of the game. We lost our first league game to Benecia; they finished 2nd in the league. We lost a couple of games one weekend that we shouldn’t have lost, but as a growth year you chalk it up to maturity and learning. About 2/3rds of the way through the season, we played Hayward, who was undefeated  and in sole possession of 1st place. We beat them 1-0 with a cross from the right midfielder that the left midfielder volleyed into the goal. It was a great game for us, as we stifled everything Hayward through at us. When the regular season was finished, we went were invited to play in a mini-tournament by Benicia. We went on to beat Benecia 2-1, which was great for the girls to come full circle. Benecia is an extremely well coached team and it was one of the best games that I’ve seen between two U12 teams.

At the end of the outdoor season, we broke the girls into two indoor teams to ensure they all had plenty of playing time and the Eclipse and Storm were born. I think we will be retiring the Wildcats name after this season, but all the girls that were once Wildcats will always be part of our family.

Thank you Wildcats.