Reflection On The Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup

On one fall morning, my mom and I arrived at the Hulmeville Soccer Tournament. There were so many teams that had great potential to win. My teammates and I Were excited to play theses teams and push our skills to the limit. Our soccer team won all five games that we played. Therefore we made it to the championship angist Hulmeville, one of the best teams in the tournament. The game started and there were no goals scored. Since it was the finals, we went

In determining whether to keep or drop the Craddock Cup, the overhead expense allocations of City field rental, CYSL salaries and CYSL rent should be revised.

Ruelas, R. (2014, November 28). Game-changer: Territorial Cup history you know is wrong. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from

Freezing in the morning, the grassy fields at the Uihlein soccer complex were let off a cracking every step. The excitement of playing in my first ever varsity lacrosse game kept me hyped up on the day of its arrival. Grinning widely, wearing sapphire blue, I strutted to the bench for our team, Brookfield Lacrosse. As the tournament was preparing to start, the sound of Eminem’s music played through the speakers and parents chattered in the stands before the first game between Arrowhead and my team. All that was running through my mind at the time was, “Don’t underperform. Make a statement to the coaches.”

My palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy, as my dad tried to make awkward conversation with me as he drove. We were on our way to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the very new looking arena where the Washington Capitals practiced. The rink is far to begin with, down in Arlington Virginia, and the fact it was a dark and rainy Tuesday night did us no favors. The grueling stop and go traffic extended our ride to over an hour, good thing we left much earlier than we had to. The ice slot was set for 7:30, so I wanted to be there a little before 7 in order to have plenty of time to get dressed and get through my pre-game/practice rituals with ease. At 7:30 I would be on the ice trying out for my first AAA hockey team, The Washington Little Caps, the best team in the DMV.

In the early 1800s the game has been played on frozen ponds, pucks made out of wood, the sticks were also made of wood. Since that time the sport has evolved to be one of the most sports watched sport in Canada and,The United States Of America.Since 1915 the silver engraved Stanley cup has been apart of the N.H.L hockey playoffs,and continues to coveted players today.

As I stood on the field, sweat dripping down my face, it all came down to this moment. Going to practice for months, the bruises, the pain, it was all preparing me for this altering moment. I’m a soccer goalie, that in itself is a big responsibility, but tonight my team was counting on me to lead them to victory. We just played a full 90-minute game only to be tied two to two. I stood in between the goal posts, people cheering my name, as a member from the opposing team walked closer. Since we tied we are in a penalty shootout, the outcome of the game is decided on this one kick. See, being a goalie is a big responsibility, but during a shootout, that's when it gets unbearably stressful. The odds are not in a goalie’s favor. There is only an eighteen percent chance that the goalie will stop the penalty kick, but I was beating those odds because I already blocked two out of four shots. I just needed to block one more, one more and we win the gold medal, we win first place. As the player walks closer to me, the cheering of the crowd slowly dissipates. All I hear is my heart pounding out of my chest. It all comes down to this final whistle signaling the kicker to begin. I felt unstoppable, this was my moment to shine, this was when I became the hero for my team. The referee blew

We walked together to the field, the spikes on the bottom of my cleats clicking with each step on the parking lot pavement. A huge field with onlookers filling the bleachers on the far side came into view, lit up by the soft evening light. I spotted the girls on my team and my tired looking grey-haired coach. Me and my dad split up, me going to warm up with my team and my dad going to sit with the team parents. As I was passing with my teammates I watched the opposing team carefully. I observed how neat their drills were and how accurate their shots and passes were. They all looked so athletic and that really made me doubt myself. How was I supposed to prove to everyone that I was a good player if I had to play against a team this good? What if I mess up and the other team completely destroys my team? The loud buzzer that ended the warm ups sounded and both teams went to their side of the field. My coach called today’s starters out, and luckily he didn’t choose me. Relieved, I went to go sit on one of the hard metal chairs they provided for the teams on the sidelines. The chairs were uncomfortable but that didn’t bother me. I had other things on my mind. I sat shivering watching the events of the game

Have you ever felt pain so bad, but you push through it and ignore it ? Have ever wanted to help out your team but couldn’t ? Well I have experienced both it’s a terrible feeling and in my eyes it’s considered a failure to let down your team. How, I let down my team and myself is quite simple and here is how I hurt my knee, but first i'm going to tell you a little about soccer, why I played it, and then i'm going to explain how I hurt it and how it’s a failure to me and how did it affect me.

Approximately four years ago, twelve of us accepted a position on team that none of us, not only knew anything about, but also did not expect much from. We were twelve individuals that were seeking a college soccer experience at the division I level and if you ask any of those girls back then, none of them could have predicted the reality of the four years that we would ultimately spend here. This team had experienced heartbreak in freshman year on many levels, battled through the pain of losing in the semi-finals of sophomore year, and again losing in the finals last year. To be a part of this program is unlike any experience I’ve had before. There is always a supportive and positive environment; there is always progress being made every

On February 28, 2005, I experienced one of the most exciting events that anyone could ever experience – winning a State Championship. The day my soccer team made history is a day I’ll never forget. However it is not just that day we won the title, but the whole experience of the preceding season that got us there. From start to finish, my team’s 2004-2005 season taught me that the platitude is true. You can do anything you set your mind to.

Two years ago I played my first high school soccer season and it was one of the best experiences I had related with this sport, but what made it special was the last game we faced. Just like Forrest Gump quoted, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” This is how the surprise started; some friends and I were moved up from freshman team to the JV team and we were excited to compete for some game time. Even though we had very low chances, we gave our 100% in the few training sessions we had to earn a spot. Friday night arrived; I was frightened and shocked to face the best team in our district.

During my first season of competitive travel soccer I thought I had been blessed with an amazing coach. His name was Kenrick Ramirez. Kenrick was from Trinidad and Tobago and had a thick caribbean accent that at first I could not understand. I was intrigued by Kenrick’s personality because he was so much different than the other typical soccer coaches I had had my whole life. He seemed to know everything like he was the soccer god. Unfortunately, none of

Yet my apprehension prevailed as I continued to fear getting put in the game in case another player was injured. I was still afraid of making mistakes and getting blamed by screaming coaches and angry teammates. Sometimes these fears came true. During my sophomore season, my position led me to play in the varsity games on many occasions. On such occasions, I often made mistakes. Most of the time the mistakes were not significant; they rarely changed the outcome of a play. Yet I received a thorough verbal lashing at practice for the mistakes I had made. These occurrences only compounded my fears of playing. However, I did not always make mistakes. Sometimes I made great plays, for which I was congratulated. Now, as I dawn on my senior year of soccer, I feel like a changed person.

Unlike all other game days, this one is very special. We take on UC San Diego in hopes of securing a playoff spot. My emotions have been running all over the place, and no it’s not because I am a young adult trying to get through college. I have been playing soccer for 15 years already so it is safe to say that soccer is my life. All I do is constantly train to get better and improve as much as I can and today is my chance to showcase my talent at the highest level I’ve played at so far. It’s my second year at SFSU and my second year playing soccer here and with 20 games already recorded for me at the school, I should be coming into the game with a cool head but I am far from it.