On Saturday the 25th of January 2020 our girls SAISA soccer team was invited to play an exhibition game against Gateway College Colombo at the stadium Racecourse. This was an exhibition game that was meant to be an opening for the “Big Match” of two boys teams that was to follow. This was an amazing opportunity for our team as not only was this such an honor for us to be recognized on a national level, but also it was great preparation for SAISA.
Prior to the game as captain of the girls soccer team I was invited to participate at a press conference at St. Thomas prep school. I went into the press conference with an open mind as I had never been to one in the past. It consisted of the board that organized the entire tournament along with several major news outlets. It was an exciting opportunity as our school was being recognized in way it had never before as the main objective of the tournament was to not only compete, but also break barriers between international and local schools in Colombo. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that it was pretty cool when the news reporters were asking me questions and recording notes to be published on the weekly newspaper.
The morning of the game we had a short practice to get into the right headspace for the game. This tournament was a pretty big deal as tens of people from across Colombo would be there as supporters for one of the many schools that will be playing. During our morning session we practiced crossing, corners, some attacking plays and defensive plays just some skills we would be able to apply during our game. After going home to take a quick nap to reenergize myself for the game I hoped in my car to head to the stadium for the game. The whole ride there I was listening to hype and pump music to get into the mental space necessary for the game, but also I was visualizing plays I could use throughout the game – a method of calming my nerves. After meeting our team at the stadium we were all ready to play some soccer! We all had our own forms of nerves, but it was more excitement and determination. These were the two things that drove us throughout the game. The minute we stepped on the field to play I could hear the boys and girls that came from our school to support us screaming “Go Geckos!” This support was fuel for motivation, but the second after the referee blew his whistle I blocked out all the background noises and I focused solely on the game. I was proud of the girls for putting into play all the 1,2 plays and passing we had practiced throughout the season. Our crosses were not as strong as they usually were which was an issue as we weren’t really scoring. Before we knew it it was already half time. The second half was just as intense as the first half making it nearly impossible for us to score, however, we did manage to keep the ball on their side of the field ensuring that we were creating plenty of opportunities.
As captain, this was the game that really demonstrated the grit that our girls have. I was amazed by how much each of them wanted the ball and how much they each wanted to win which was great determination from our end. On the other hand, there were several moments where the girls needed encouragement. At one point they were getting mentally down that we were not scoring and they knew the game was coming to an end so they ended up getting really emotional, so I had to evade them of such thoughts and reassure them of their skills. Even when it came to winning the races with the ball I knew the girls were tired so I told them to keep on pushing and to run faster and further when they felt like giving up. The moment when my words mattered the most was when the game ended up going to a nail biting penally shoot out. Most of the girls were nervous and were not sure of their capabilities this sort of lack mentality would really end up hindering their shots and confidence, so to avoid that I get them some words of motivation and assured them that none of us would be upset if they missed their penalty. With the right mindset we were able to win the penalty shoot out. The second the referee blew his whistle twice we all ran to the goalie, Emily, and started hugging each other and jumping in excitement. Before we knew it all the boys and girls that had come to support us were on the field hugging us celebrating our narrow win. It was a dream.
This was an experience that I will take on with me when going to play SAISA, as there were mistakes made and lesson learned that helped us grow as a team. There were moments that brought us closer together in an emotional sense. These sorts of bonds and lessons are important when moving forward to tackle bigger obstacles as a team. I am confident that our girls will shine at SAISA and they will fight with the same grit and determination as they did during this game. We have come so far as a team and I am proud of each of them! It’s safe to say that we are an inseparable team at this point with an inseparable desire to win.
