May 17th, 2015
Coming straight from baseball, Samantha joined her
Michigan Impact soccer teammates on the pitch for a match versus the PASS FC
Premier team. After a big win on the diamond, Sam was hoping for the same here.
Unfortunately things got off to a rough start. The Impact gave up the first goal
early on, but they were able to even up the score a short time later. Before
long the PASS team scored another, taking a 2-1 lead into halftime. Early in the
second PASS scored another one, in what was a goal that likely sealed the deal
for the Impact girls. For most of the second half the action slowed down and
neither team put on much of a push. Late in the second half one of Sam's
teammates got tripped inside of the box, resulting in a free kick for the
Impact. Sam quickly volunteered to take the kick, and her coach gave her the OK
to take it. After all of her goalkeeper training she was able to perfectly read
the keepers tendencies, and netted the goal on the right side of the net to
bring the score to 3-2. That goal seemed to spark the Impact team, and they kept
the pressure up from that point. Sam's team ended up with a corner kick a short
while later, and her teammate sent the perfect cross towards the goal mouth. Sam
jumped up and got her head on it, knocking it into the goal once again for her
second goal of the game (and the season), tying the score at three goals apiece.
Although both teams did their best to break the tie in the short time left, the
whistle blew before either side was able to net the winner. After a rough start
it turned out that this was a pretty good game, and perhaps Sam's best of the
season (especially offensively).
Michigan Impact Spring Outdoor Game 8 - vs. PASS FC Premier '01
Girls
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Samantha watching the ball on a sideline throw-in.
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Sam doing her best to avoid being elbowed in the head while
passing the ball across the middle to an open teammate.
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Sam dribbling the ball in front of an opposing player.
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Sam taking a corner kick.
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Sam getting ready to kick the ball on a penalty kick..
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...and sending the ball towards the goalkeeper...
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...and watching as the keeper tries to dive back towards it...
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...only to have to watch it roll into the back corner of the
goal.
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Sam watching as her teammate knocks down a ball in front of her.
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Samantha got her head on this corner kick...
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..and sent it flying towards the goal...
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...and into the net as her teammates rushed to congratulate her
on the game-tying header goal...
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...and the opposing reacting in the opposite manner.
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Sam trying to outmuscle an opposing player for the ball...
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...and managing to get her foot out in front...
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...while gaining control of the ball...
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...and sending the opposing player to the ground.
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Sam lining up a kick ahead to a teammate.
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Sam reacting to a gut-wrenching 3-3 tie in today's contest.
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