Ah, my first day of vacation. I was still recovering from my cold last week and it was raining all day here, but I was still planning on seeing today’s soccer match. I’d missed seeing all Aggie sports last weekend, and I desperately wanted out of my apartment and away from work. I wanted to go almost no matter what, but was fairly relieved that the rain had lessened to a light drizzle by the time I left late in the afternoon.
Out in the parking lot, there were several people tailgating at a tent. They had got two heavy-duty grills going. There were people there in the stands. (I admit, I was worried there wouldn’t be.) There is a hardcore group of fans for this sport. Seattle U brought some fans, who piped up during introductions and during the game. Today’s fans were pretty vocal, though not obnoxious. Aggie Baseball came in around halftime. They stood around at the foot of the grandstand rather sit on the wet grass.
Fearing for my metal stadium chair and foam pad in the rain, I brought a large bath towel to sit on. It immediately got soaked, along with my rear end when I sat down. At least the grass clippings had finally been washed off the grandstand. It was cool out, but not cold. The Organ Mountains in the background were wrapped in clouds. It was very scenic, and the rain smelled pleasant. Unfortunately, it was also kind of dark. This place could definitely use some lights. DJ Downs wasn’t doing the announcing. Instead, it was Alexia, the girl PA from baseball for the last two years. I thought she graduated?
First Half
Let’s get down to it. At the very start of the match, I suddenly broke out in a coughing fit. It came out of nowhere. Lucky I came prepared with a cough drop, which I hastily fumbled to get into my mouth. On field at 41’ left in the half, keeper Ashley Martin and an SU player collided at the top of the box. The ball rolled dangerously past the goal.
38’ Zorena Hazen (I think) was yellow carded for rough play. The referee was going to put a clamp down on the violence here early. “Zo” as she was called from the crowd has very pretty silvery hair, not that that matters in play. The free kick came from way outside the box, but took a high bounce and tucked right into the corner of the goal for a 1-0 SU lead. No announcement was made to credit the goal.
36’ the Aggies got an attack going in the Seattle end and two corner kicks, but failed to get a shot on goal. 31’ Ash got into a one-on-one with an attacking SU player, but managed to kick it away. 30’ she fought off another attack in front of the net. The Seattle fans were yelling, “Shoot it!” I guess it’s not just our fans doing that. (At one point in the game, I did hear a “Shoot it!” when the ball was five feet away from the nearest girl.)
28’ SU corner kick. Ashley fell down trying to recover the ball. Thankfully, another player kicked it away. 26’ there was a good Aggie attack with some impressive passing, but the shot went high and wide. 24’ another SU corner. There was a shot in front of the net that hit the goalpost.
20’ Katie Martinez, one of the harder kickers on the team, accidentally fired one into Audrey Chavez’s backside. Well, at least she picked one of the few girls on the team who could have taken that shot without getting knocked down. The crowd got a chuckle out of it. “That’s the way to take one for the team, Audrey!” “That’ll leave a bruise.”
The rain was steadily increasing at this point. The girls seemed to be melting a little on the field and play slowed. The weather forecast had the heavier stuff coming near the end of the game, so I was hoping this wasn’t it arriving early. 18’ Corey Kizer came in as a sub. She was now wearing a face mask. I guess something must have happened on the road trip.
Okay, a couple of guys behind me started discussing how to fight off a shark attack. It must be Shark Week. This conversation went on for a while. As you might guess, it veered into talking about fighting off bear attacks as well. Not quite as entertainingly out on the field, 12’ Ashley was involved in another one-on-one. How does this keep happening? The crowd thought the play was offsides, but Ash stayed with it and the shot went wide.
10’ shortly after Lece Aviles subbed into the game, she blocked a shot on goal with her face. This was a terrible idea, because she’s got a lovely face. Baby, it’s just game, don’t sacrifice your looks and end up in a face mask. 8’ Kyleigh Cox entered the game. A screaming cheer went up for her. Ah, her Swim and Dive team friends must be around somewhere. Behind me, cheetahs entered into the discussion about bear and shark attacks. I’m wishing I had a microphone for this conversation. 2’ Emma Smith was laid out on a collision outside of the Aggie box. Insultingly, she was also called for the foul. The half ended without further note.
Halftime
I retreated to my truck for 10 minutes to get out of the rain and to get a drink and to contemplate what the hell I was doing with my life. In spite of the rain, I was dry, except for my butt, which soaked down to my underwear. The PA played a Taylor Swift song in the intermission. Don’t they know I just broke up with her this week! Yes, what a twist. Here I was ready to let her break up with me and then immortalize me in song, and I go and break up with her first. Sorry, but she betrayed me. I’m already writing a song about it. I just need a publisher.
Second Half
Freshman Mia Montano was now in the Aggie goal. I don’t think Ashley did bad job, so I wonder if she was injured in the first half. Certainly the game wasn’t out-of-hand to where you’d put Mia in to get some more experience. (And who’s the emergency goalie? I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes an issue before the end of the season.) Unfortunately, Mia got tested right away. 43’ she came to meet an attack and missed. The ball rolled right in, 2-0 SU. Jessie Ray was credited with the goal. That was deflating.
39’ Katie made a fake out on an SU player good enough to get an “Ooh” from the crowd. 38’ after some good passing, Audrey took a shot on the SU goal. That was the first official SOG for the Aggies in the game. 36’ SU fired a header that went over the net. 35’ Katie took a shot that was caught by the Seattle goalie. 34’ my dear Aileen Galicia knocked down a girl in mid-air. She was mostly playing on the other side of the field, so I hadn’t seen much of her work today. Emma took a shot on goal right after. The SU goalie made a nice punch save.
32’ Coach Baarts yelled out some criticism of Rebecca Mazzie across the field loud enough for everyone to hear it. It seemed kind of random. The rain let up a bit, so I was feeling better about the game finishing without a deluge. 28’ Aileen trampled a Seattle player. It’s a good thing the referee wasn’t seeing this.
25’ three Seattle players attacked the Aggie net with only defender back. I wanted to cover my eyes. Mia had no chance on the play. 3-0 SU. #28 Rachel Bowler was credited with the goal. Surprisingly, the crowd didn’t leave. Interesting stat on the scoreboard: SU 3 SOG, 3 Goals. 16’ Katie ran across the field to stop a wide open shot. Micaela Milavec was knocked down in the ensuing melee and a Seattle player was carded.
7’ #16 Kelsey Vogel hit the Aggie crossbar from well outside the box and the ball deflected in. It’s all falling in for them. 4-0 SU. A couple of people in crowd left after that. Given the time left, I figured there’s no point in leaving now. 3’ again, there was only one defender back during a Seattle attack. The ball just went over the net. Aileen was subbed out here. I’d noticed her just walking on the field after the previous play. The coach must have noticed too.
With less than a minute left, Mia came out and missed another attack, but thankfully the shot missed as well. The PA Alexia gave a very unenthusiastic countdown of the final seconds. If this was her first time calling a soccer match, I’m sure she found it unpleasant. A Seattle corner kick was the last play of the match as the rain suddenly started increasing, right on schedule. 4-0 Seattle U was the final.
The Redhawks came out to midfield and waved to their fans. The Aggie girls again retreated to the sidelines and started stretching. Me and some other Aggie fans were left standing at the rail, hoping they’d come back and wave. Hey, I’m not here to watch soccer. I’m here to see you girls. Okay, forget that. It was actually raining, not just sprinkling. I’m gone. When I drove back by, I could see the girls were still on field getting a postgame talk. Couldn’t you do that in the locker room, rather than risk pneumonia?
I stopped at Schlotzsky’s and picked up a mac and cheese brisket dish. Seemed like a good time for a hot meal. I know they got rid of the ice cream, but can they at least turn on the lights in the restaurant? It was like a cave in there. At least the food was good. (I wished they’d put a little barbecue sauce on it.) Back at home, I immediately changed into dry underwear and pants.
I hope the weather is better for Sunday’s game. They’re playing Chicago State, the team the Aggies beat 8-0 on the road last year. If they don’t win, I wonder if Coach Baarts makes it to the end of the season.
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