Knockout Final

You can't win them all!  After finishing the last 16 games of the season with a 15-1 record we finally faltered.  We started the Final against Botha Sig quite slowly.  We were hindered with several injuries and illnesses so players were playing out of position, and that really slowed us early on.  We gave up a goal on an amazing deep shot about 10 minutes into the game.  We slowly got into the game, but we still weren't playing well.  With about 5 minutes left in the 1st half we drew a penalty and Tauriq finished it off.  So, at halftime we were tied 1-1.  The good news was that we still hadn't played well, the bad news was that we had to figure out how to play better.  

Luke Planting attacking in the 1st Half

We started the 2nd half stronger and started playing our brand of soccer, getting the ball on the ground and passing it around a bit.  We made some changes early in the 2nd half that gave us some footing, especially in midfield.  However, we still couldn't find the goal.  Regulation ended and we headed to overtime.  At this point our fitness level started to show and we played better and better as the game wore on.  But we were still squandering our chances.

With less than a minute left in overtime Coach Mike and I started discussing who our penalty takers should be.  We were organizing our list when all of a sudden we lost the ball in midfield, the ball got played over the heads of our defenders, and their forward ran onto it and popped it over our goalie.  Just like that, with less than 15 seconds left, it was over!  It was such a shock.  We had controlled play throughout the 2nd Half and Overtime and seemed like the only team that would score.  

The great thing is that you can teach a whole lot more when you lose, than when you win.  You obviously learn a lot about the game, but there is so much to learn about life in that moment.  I was proud of how the boys handled it.  They were disappointed, but they were good sports with our opponents, and within half an hour they were ready to enjoy the awards ceremony.  Being League Champions meant that we received that trophy and our runners up medals for the Knockout.  So, in the end, there was still much to celebrate.  

Congratulations has to go out to the U13 Fish Hoek B team that won their division of the league AND the Knockout.  Two of the Academy players, Sim and Keanu, have played on that team all year.  

And we also need to send a major thank you to Hillsong Church Cape Town.  They sponsored our new Knockout Final Jerseys.  They had the boys names on the back, they got to pick their own number, and they had the Hillsong logo on the sleeve.  They looked sharp!  

The team with their trophies & medals.
In the picture is Matthew Booth, a former National Player, who grew up in Fish Hoek and played with the club.