Soccer...Game 1

Sunday afternoon we got our first soccer game under our belts. Overall I think Ruth Ann had a good time. The coaches wife, Rachel, had a blanket for the team to sit on and she stayed there when it wasn't her turn to play...for the most part. She did randomly run over to me to hand me her water bottle during the game, only to return a few moments later to retrieve her water bottle...I'm not sure what that was about, maybe it was first game nerves and she wasn't quite sure where her water bottle should go. As she ran back to the team my mom told her she was doing a good job which she replied to by saying "Yeah, I know!"...I was told later she responded in the same manner when Rachel praised her for doing a good job...clearly not lacking in the confidence department around here...her older brother was always the same way, so it's a McCarty trait. They're all born feeling like they're bound for greatness! Here are a few pictures of the highlights of the game... 

Pre-game warm-up...

 

Pre-game pep talk...




I think Coach Drew was reminding them the #1 rule was to not touch the ball...which everyone followed...



But when Ruth Ann turned around the coach may have also reminded the team to kick the ball in the goal...although Ruth Ann got really close 2 or 3 times...she didn't get a goal...this time!

There are 8 players and they take turns playing each quarter...Ruth Ann was up with the first group of 4...



I know it looks like she's about to score...but she just barely missed the goal. My friend Brantley said she thinks they should make the goals just a little bit bigger for this age...I agree!

 

Again, so close...



Here she is getting pushed down...



 I love her expression here...and even though she got right back up and never shed a tear...we had a long talk about not letting anyone push her around. I know there are rules about contact in the soccer, but it's full contact at this age...we told her to stop letting those boy knock her down! I'm hoping the tough little girl I know and love will take the field next week!



We ended up playing against the team our friend Mary Beth is on...here she is showing off her skills...let me tell you, this girl didn't let anyone push her around. She was in the middle pushing right back...Ruth Ann needs lessons from Mary Beth!



Our friend Roper scored 2 goals...one for our team and one for the other team! In his defense, he was very close to the other team's goal when he got the ball all to himself...that net was just too close to resist kicking the ball right at it!



 I love this picture because it kinda sums up the whole 3 year old children playing a sport...Ruth Ann is #5 (if you couldn't tell by the blond head)...she has the ball, but her team mate who is just a few feet away on the left is more concerned about the condition of his finger nail. The field we played on was just a few feet from the play ground...and at one point during the game one of our players took off for the playground!



And this was my favorite moment of the game...Ruth Ann had the ball, but someone on the other team got tangled up in the mass of preschoolers and fell down. Our player, Trey (#9), stopped and helped him back to his feet...so sweet! I told him and his parents after the game that this was my favorite part of the whole game!



Then the game was over and then parents and friends lined up to cheer for both teams!



 And I managed to get a picture of the cutest 2 little blonds playing U4 soccer!



 And poor little Tripp-man hung in there...game time was close to nap time...and he's in the middle of battling a cold...it helped that Pa-paw was there but he really was kinda miserable...but still cute!