U7s Airborne by Aislinn Leonard
“If it’s in the air, then it’s in the hand!” Every player outside of the U7 ranks knows this Dave Olson bark, but after the addition of the uprights to the goals two weeks ago, the bobbleheads have become accustomed to hearing this from their coaches, as well. They have been working hard to get those sliotars to sail like arrows over the bar and trying to remember that pesky little rule about not picking the ball up off the ground with their hands.
Leading the pack by example, Christian Griffin was successfully getting the ball into his hand and up in the air the entire first quarter. Before the whistle blew for water, his persistence paid off. Christian jab lifted the ball, took his steps, and sent the sliotar into the goal from his defensive zone. His inspiring play cast a spell on the rest of the field and suddenly everyone wanted to take a shot at hitting in the air. Meredith Giese, a defensive powerhouse, managed to battle her way out of a few scrums like a gladiator clearing the ring and got the ball into her hand to try for a hit in the air. It was as if the entire field froze to watch. The match picked up some speed again when Dylan Gray gained possession of the ball in the offensive zone and buried a point-blank shot on goal with a strong ground strike.
The airborne sliotars didn’t stop at the A field. Over on field B, Mark Knudson swung at the ball in the air with a quick wristy movement and sent the sliotar to a teammate the midline. Marshall Hassler, fighting through a healing collarbone injury, played physically and scored multiple goals throughout the game. “He’s always first to the ball. He’s like a mini Wolverine,” said Coach Devin.
Like a tiger chasing his prey, Anthony Witt was up and down the field making sure everyone knew it was his ball. He took control and played with the heart of a lion.
Although there was no hitting in the air down at the C field, there was still impressive play by all. Braeden McCarville was the first Mini Mite to score a goal from midfield in one strike. Stepping up in the first round of ground strikes, Braeden showed the crowd that you don’t have to be a flashy player to score a beautiful goal.
The smiles are never in short supply at the U7 pitch. So come on down and watch as we gear up for Irish Fest!