Jayden and her Florida Hawks teammates returned to the fields in
Wesley Chapel to take on the Florida Premier FC RADD team in the
TARSA Championship Game. Prior to the start of the game each team
walked onto the field and lined up (similar to what the high school
teams do, but without introductions). After the referee met with the
captains from each side, it was time to get underway! The first
half got underway, and it was dominated by the RADD team. The Hawks
gave it their best effort, but they were left shorthanded, with only
one substitute player, thanks in part to the opposing coach not
allowing any Hawks guest players. The RADD side dominated the
possession of the ball, only allowing a single Hawks shot during the
entire first half, which came just before the half expired. It was
the RADD team that broke through first, getting on the scoreboard
prior to the first water break, thanks to a nice pass through the
box that they were able to kick in behind the Hawks keeper. The
Hawks would be able to limit the damage to just that single goal
during the opening half, and would go into halftime trailing by a
1-0 score.
Yesterday the Hawks came out strong in the second half, and were
hoping for a repeat during today's contest. Unfortunately, it wasn't
meant to be. Neither side created much offense before the second
water break, with the RADD side getting the only two shots on goal.
After the two teams returned to finish out the game, it started to
become obvious that the Hawks squad was beginning to tire. The RADD
team widened their lead early after the break, scoring on a long,
hard kick that found its way into the back of the Hawks net, making
it a 2-0 game. Moments later that lead grew to three goals, thanks
to a corner kick that deflected off of a RADD players neck and into
the goal. The RADD squad kept attacking, but the Hawks defense and
goalkeeper weren't going to allow the deficit to grow any further.
Unfortunately, as has been the problem all year long, the Hawks
offense was non-existent during this game. The late first half shot
on goal was their only real opportunity to score. When the final
score found the Hawks on the wrong side of the ledger, losing 3-0
and coming in as the league runners-up.
Despite hoping for a victory today, the parents of this Florida
Hawks team are all extremely proud of the effort that the girls put
into their entire season. They never gave up, and fought until the
very end. Congratulations on an excellent season girls! |