A Goal to Remember!

Well it seems like it's been a long time since I've done something spectacular when it comes to playing soccer. Today was a day in which I can say I did something special.

Earlier today I had a soccer game with my new team Bundang FC, and we played against a team that was not only dirty, but they dived a lot. To say the least, it was frustrating to see people do a tuck and roll as soon as you touch them.

Anyway, we started the game with only one substitute, so I got mentally prepared to play the full 90 minutes of the game. In the first half we seemed to dominate the game by scoring 2 goals, one of which was a header from our 6'-4" tall center forward named Stu, and the second goal came from a easy tap in off of a rebounded shot that I took after doing a couple of spin moves past two defenders!

It seemed as though we were going to easily win the game, but the other team scored a penalty kick a little bit later, making the score 2-1 at halftime.

The second half we scored another goal making it 3-1, but we made it a little hard on ourselves by allowing them to score a second goal soon after. Up until the 78th minute, we held them to a 3-2 lead, but one of their players ended up tying the game with a near post shot. Thus the game was tied at 3-3.

It seemed as though we were going to tie the game, despite having played a pretty decent game. But we continued to press on.

In the 89th minute, Evan, one of our outside mid-fielders, won the ball off of a defender and passed the ball to me near the penalty spot of the opposing teams box. The ball came bouncing to me, and I had to make a split second decision about what to do next. Now usually in this situation I would do a couple of things:

1. I would try to take a shot, and probably miss kick the ball and it would go out for a goal kick (or perhaps a throw in).

2. I would try to control the ball and take a more controlled shot, which would usually be a good idea, but it often times gives the other team a chance to try and block the shot.

I chose option 1, and instead of kicking the ball out of play, I drilled the ball into the top right corner of the goal!

Bundang FC: 4

Other Team: 3

I jumped with joy while also running back to our end of the field after the goal, and my teammates followed and cheered with me in celebration of what would surely be the winning goal of the match. In a surprise move, one of the players grabbed my shorts and pulled them down enough for me to in fact moon the opposing team. So to add insult to injury, the opposing team was down by a goal towards the very end of the game, and got a glimpse of my butt as well!

I've played many soccer games throughout the course of my life, but none of the goals I have ever scored will be as dramatic as this one. I'm grateful for having the opportunity to do something spectacular, and I can certainly thank my teammates for the effort that they put in throughout the game.

But I think what will make this memorable is that I did it during a time where I was really missing playing soccer, and by scoring today I was reminded of one of the many reasons why I like playing so much.

One of the things that I thought about after the game was that it wasn't a goal that I scored during a high pressure situation in a game that seemed like it meant the world. I scored in a game that didn't matter that much in the long run. It was more memorable than any moment that I played on the soccer team at Goshen College, and it may have been the best goal that I have ever scored.

One might wish that it would have come in a more critical game, but for me it came at the perfect time. It came at a time when it didn't matter if I missed the goal or not. I thought about how much pressure I was under playing competitively in school and club soccer, and I think if I would have felt less pressure during those times of my life, I could have scored more goals like the one I did today.

To say the least, I'm happy that I scored.