After being sick for almost three weeks, we’re happy to see Thomas out playing again! He is eating fine; he has gained back about 4 pounds; and he feels great!
Thomas had a cool assist yesterday when he chipped a ball over a defender and the keeper – his teammate Aaron headed it into the net – you can see this at the link below…
We traveled to Philadelphia yesterday for a one-day tournament today outside Philadelphia. Thomas played up an age group as a guest player for the U12 Fusion FC Fire. His team took second place after losing a heartbreaker 2-1 in the final minute of the championship game! Thomas scored a goal and had a couple of assists on the day. It was his first time playing on a full-sized soccer field (110 yards) in the 11v11 format. His legs are a bit tired right now. Here are some pictures from today:
Rainy morning… We chose not to check out of our hotel before the first game. We were so happy to throw clothes in a dryer between games!
The rest of our games were on a really nice turf field. Reminded us of the beautiful field the boys played on at C.S. Firenze in Italia!
I didn’t get a good picture of Thomas’ goal… here is one of his assists. He shot it past the goalie and his teammate on the left in this picture got a foot on it and directed it in the net!
We had a cool sunny Thursday evening for a game of soccer. The HMMS Eagle FC 99 Wolverines took on the Hershey 99 Orange Revolution. After leading 1-0 at the half, the Wolverines poured it on in the second half scoring three more goals. Hershey’s only goal came on a penalty kick late in the second half.
Thomas scored the Wolverine’s fourth goal. He made a nice run down the side, jumped over a slide tackle, and ripped a shot between the goalie and the near post. The goalie got his hands on the ball, but he couldn’t keep it out of the net!
In the first half, Thomas made a good try heading a ball that was crossed into the middle. He got good speed on the header, and he aimed it toward the goal. But the keeper was in perfect position to make the play!
Our day began early this morning with a game at 9:00 a.m. in Mechanicsburg, PA. Thomas’ team, HMMS Eagle FC 99 Wolverines, beat Manheim Mutiny 4 – 2. At the start of the game, it was just windy and cold. But the rain came midway through the second half. In this series of pictures, Thomas launches a chip shot over the goalie and his teammate Aaron finishes by driving the ball into the net.
Nicholas’ team, HMMS Devils, played at 10:25 a.m. in Dillsburg, PA. By then it was raining sideways. But the game still went on! Thomas showed up right at game time to help out as Nicholas’ team is short a few players this spring. Unfortunately, the game was a blow out. Dillsburg dominated and won 4-0. Here are a couple of pictures from that game:
Thomas trying to make something happen on offense…
Nicholas tough on D…
In Wednesday evening soccer action, Thomas’ team, HMMS Eagle FC 99 Wolverines, tied Super Nova 3-3. Super Nova led most of the game. The Wolverines tied it up on a nice through ball by Thomas that his teammate, Connor, picked up and drove into the back of the net. Here is a picture of Thomas making a move by the other team’s goalie who had charged him. Thomas’ shot was partially blocked by Super Nova’s defender, Preston, and so the shot died within inches of the goal line! It was an exciting game!
One year ago! Leaving our friends the Marcheses in Italy!
It’s a good thing that winning isn’t everything, because otherwise we’d have nothing today! Nicholas’ soccer team lost today 3-1; Thomas’ soccer team lost 2-0; and Thomas’ baseball team lost a heartbreaker 7-6 in the bottom of the last inning. Nicholas’ baseball team even lost both games of a doubleheader – he had to skip baseball because of his soccer game.
So it’s a good thing for ice cream! Otherwise, it might have been a lot worse! Here are some pictures:
An angel in the outfield?
Thomas’ elementary school has a television program every morning that all of the students watch called Lion TV. The program has morning announcements and features what is going on at the school.
Thomas was invited to talk about his experiences in Italy over a three-day period on Lion TV. I videotaped a TV in the school lobby on the three days he was on Lion TV. I apologize that the taping isn’t the best – there was noise in the lobby as students came in late, and I am also taping a TV which creates a black bar across the TV screen. But you can still see Thomas pretty well!
On the first day, he talked a bit about Florence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ApbztA5bok
On the second day he talked about playing soccer in Florence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg_evDWSLOQ And a few notes: Yes, he wears glasses in school! His principal’s name is Don – that might explain a joke. I cut out the beginning of the show because people were really talking too loudly. I told them to be quiet for Thomas’ part!
Here is Thomas’ final appearance on Lion TV! He spoke about the places he visited in Europe. And the anchor of the program (she is first to appear) is Thomas’ friend Jessie.
Two boys….two sports….one long day.
The day started at 10am with Thomas’ soccer team, the Wolverines, playing a game in York against the Panthers. The Wolverines and the Panthers have played against each other many times, and it is always a close match. The Panthers’ field today was terrible – the grass was way too long! It was really a shame. So the boys played a game that looked like soccer, but it really wasn’t. It was rugby without hands. The ball moved so slowly through the grass that the boys pushed, fought, and shoved to free the ball from the grip of the grass.
It was a close match. In the first half, the Wolverines took an early lead – Thomas made a great pass to his teammate, Maxim, who drilled a shot into the net. However, only a few minutes later, the Panthers countered with a goal to tie the score 1-1. The game went back and forth through the second half with each team getting chances to score. The Wolverines had no subs – they only had eight players today, and they all got very tired. The Panthers had three subs, so their boys were getting rest throughout the game. With thirty seconds to go in the game, the Panthers finally broke through the Wolverines tired defense and scored. The Panthers won 2-1. Thomas was not happy…
Here is the ball at halftime… you can see only half of it in the grass.
Look at Thomas’ right foot – actually you can’t. It’s buried in the grass!
The Wolverines getting some instructions from Coach Carbaugh before the game.
It was a pretty field – note the caboose in the park for kids to play on. But they could invest in a lawn mower!
We then traveled to Dillsburg to watch Nicholas’ soccer team, the Devils, play at 12:45pm against the Dillsburg Kixx. The Devils and the Kixx have also played against each other many times, and their matches are always good.
In the first minute of the game, something happened that I’ve never seen before in a soccer game. The Dillsburg goal keeper was a big, strong kid, and he had some wind at his back. He punted the ball really high and far. The ball bounced about ten yards beyond the midfield line and then bounced again at the eighteen yard line. The Devil’s goalie misjudged the bounce and it went over his head and into the goal. No one else touched the ball. The Dillsburg GOALKEEPER scored! And this was a regular-sized soccer field (see below)! It seemed like it was going to be a long game for Nicholas’ Devils.
Nicholas played defense the entire game, and he played well. The Kixx scored again before the half to go up 2-0. The Devils finally found some offensive rhythm towards the end of the game, and scored with about five minutes left to close the gap to 2-1. The Devils had many chances to tie the game, but they ultimately lost 2-1. Same result as Thomas’ game earlier! Now Nicholas wasn’t happy…
Here’s a player who should be paying attention to the game and not to his Dad taking pictures…
Nicholas in a funny action shot as he is driving an offensive player to the outside…
While I watched Nicholas’ soccer game, Maria took Thomas to play a baseball game at 1pm at the Silver Spring fields. Thomas’ team ended up winning 16-1 against the Silver Spring Mariners. The temperature started to drop and it started to get very windy at the end of the game. So everyone was happy when the game was stopped because the Pirates were winning by more than 10 runs after four innings.
And our last game of the day was Nicholas’ baseball game at our home field in Middlesex Township. Nicholas’ Tigers played the Silver Spring Red Sox. The Red Sox took an early 4-0 lead, but the Tigers battled back to make the score 4-3. The game was very cold and the wind was blowing really hard. In the top of the last inning (the 6th), the Tigers broke the game open with three runs, and they ended up winning 6-4. Nicholas was happy that his team won, but he was even happier to get into a warm car! We went home – had some dinner – and went to bed!
Here is a picture of our home field from my favorite spot to watch the game – from the outfield. The field is about a 3 mile drive from our house.
