Only having 12 players for the weekend, and unfortunately many of those were injured, the Grifos were psyched and ready to win, because this game could mean the difference between playing in the semi-finals or going home.

            When the starting whistle blew, both teams began playing with a strong intensity. Although the battles seemed to be won by the Grifos, the HSA Force definitely was not going to give up. They were putting all their heart into it, and their coach and fans were just as into the game as the players were.

            Much time passed, and it was still a 0-0 game. The Grifo defense was holding strong, using the offside trap to their advantage, and Sammi Marri strategically using her slide tackles, while Kristin Hart used her speed to run down the opponents. The outside backs were also holding well, even though their forwards were very physical.

            The Perugia offense was getting a reasonable amount of shots on goal, although none of them seemed to go in. But finally, when no one expected it after all of the countless attempts, the goalie seemed to slip, and Megan “Louie” Hunsburger was able to loft the ball, right over everyone’s head, and directly into the back of the net. The Grifos were excited, but they knew they needed another goal just for safety.

            Then once again, there were more attempts, but none went in. Then, a through ball from Stephanie Goldberg, led Alyssa Finelli into space, where she carried it into the box, and shot it right past the keeper. The Grifos were up by two, but they didn’t want to let down.

            A quick substitution was made by the other team, and they found a way to beat our defense, and slip a girl through. She took a shot on Sara Beth, our keeper, who was able to get some touch on it when she made the dive, but the ball still went in the goal. 2-1 was the score now, and the other team was getting feistier then ever.

            A few yellow cards were given out, and their coach and fans were warned many times, but their team just kept injuring our players. At first, Sara Beth had gotten kicked right in the quad and stomach, which knocked the wind out of her, and unfortunately hurt her leg. Casey, our guest player for the weekend, was also injured, for she was blatantly shoulder charged by the other team, and fell over, spraining her ankle. The girl who pushed her broke her own collarbone, but that’s what karma will do to you.

            The game was called to an end, the final score of 2-1, Perugia winning the game. Unfortunately, it was not enough to get the Grifos into the playoffs, but it was definitely a great effort. Fabulous job this weekend girls! We will get them next time! Hope Casey, Sara Beth, and all the girls with injuries feel better! Good luck to the U15’s with the rest of the season!