We had a decent practice, in what turned out to be our last practice at home, on Tuesday. The weather was lousy and I thought we were all somewhat pre-occupied with the upcoming bus trip back up to Roberts Wesleyan in Rochester, for Thursday’s ECC Semifinal. We departed on time, Wednesday morning, and were doing fine, until we reached the Delaware Water Gap, where we encountered the first of several heavy delays, due to Construction. To make matters worse, our bus developed a coolant leak, which forced us to stop twice, to add more. So, we only got to the hotel at 5:30pm (we left at 9am!), with very little time to have dinner, before going over to RWU, for our 6:30 practice slot! After such a long day on the bus, it was good for the ladies to be out on the field, running around.

I hope the team slept better than I did that night. I could not keep my mind off the game we would be playing the next day. I had a somewhat listless workout before eating a pretty good hotel breakfast. With the start of the game not being until 6pm, we wanted to do something fun with them. Coach Stieve suggested the Seneca Park Zoo, which was very nearby. It turned out to be a great idea! I think everyone really enjoyed it, and was an excellent distraction.

We picked up lunch on the way back to the hotel. We had a little time to kill before leaving for the game, but I ended up sitting in the lobby, just waiting to go. Some of the parents were arriving, which only got me more amped up. As we made our way to RWU, and throughout our warm up, I thought we seemed especially focused and confident.

This game was different from the start, as you would expect for a Playoff Game. The intensity was higher and the pace quicker. Our opponent seemed like a different team than the one we faced less than two weeks before. They were sharper, more tenacious and seemed faster. As the game wore on, RWU was able to build a lead, which they would not relinquish. Our team battled throughout, and at times we seemed poised to comeback, but it was not to be. As the final moments of our season played out, our desperation was replaced with resignation and disappointment. As I saw the dejection on their faces, I really felt for them, especially for those players, whose playing careers had just concluded . The team had improved so much and come so far, in this great season, and now it was over.

The long bus ride home, on Friday, gave me plenty of time to reflect upon, our final game, as well as the whole season. Obviously, this wasn’t the way we wanted the story to end, but, I am so grateful to have been part of this wonderful journey of a season! I am sad it is over, but very proud of our team and all that they achieved this year.