Fall Soccer- Kylee

This post has been hard to write.  Not only because Fall soccer spans 3+ months.  But because the end of Hillcrest Soccer for Kylee was rough.  Rough for her, rough for me.  It was SO FUN watching her play, especially this year.  She had a team that could play this year and they did well!  Kylee was a captain and she played her favorite position- center back, which means she didn't usually sub out.  And she did her handspring throw-ins, took most of the free kicks and PKs and was all around just a star.  

The season started in August.  They did some team pictures and got the senior pictures ready for their big posters.  We were really hoping the stadium at Hillcrest would be ready for at least the end of their season, but I did not have high hopes.  It didn't happen.  They played all their home games at the complex.

SENIORS 2024!  I love how intimidating Kylee looks.  

Varsity Captains!

Kylee with her freshmen friends.  She LOVES the freshmen.  They are so cute and so fun (and GREAT players!)

One of our favorite things about high school soccer is getting to see our club teammates on opposing teams.  It's less fun when they beat us!  But it's all good.  Madison and Thunder are both 5A so we aren't surprised that they beat us.

I took a lot of pictures that I posted at the time.  Seeing them with the descriptions that I wrote make more sense than when I just post all the pictures at random.

Such pretty skies!

Kylee taking a PK.  She made all but one (against Maya, her old teammate)

Every game their coach would choose a "Knight of the game" and give them this sword.  It took a long time for Kylee to get the sword! But she finally did.

Team dinner at our house is always fun.

Pictures of her handspring throw-ins crack me up.

Senior Night

Sals liked to interview the girls after the game for social media.  Kylee thought it was super awkward, but it was fun.

Last Game

We had a REALLY good shot at going to State.  For Districts we played Bonneville and won.  I believe that was the game Kylee got a yellow card, lol.  The ref called it delay of game when Kylee came up to take a free kick.  It was pretty ridiculous but I thought it was funny.  She's never been carded before!

Skyline played IF at the same time and the game ended in 0-0 even after OT so they went to PKs.  Our club teammate Claire plays Keeper for them and we were so happy for her and for them when they won.  Skyline was ranked #1 in the district.  And we knew we could beat IF.  We had tied them previously and should've won (that game was very poorly reffed).  If we beat IF, we would go to State.  If we lost, we had to play the winner of the Skyline-Bonneville game.  We were ready to win and head to State.  But we didn't.  IF played hard!  And Claire saved so many of our shots.  We were pretty devastated at that loss.  Kylee spent the weekend in a depression.  I told her to stop acting like it was lost.  We had a chance at beating Skyline.  They just all really thought they would beat IF.  For the record, IF went on to place 4th in State.  It wasn't a fluke.  They earned their spot and I was happy for them but so sad for us.

For a long time we held Skyline to 0-0.  I was thinking if we could hold them, we could beat them in PKs.  But in the second half, their center back dribbled up a little and took a shot from far back and made it.  After that we went downhill and they ended up getting another one.  We lost 2-0.  And that was it.  The last game.  Jeremy is their club coach and he was happy that his team made it to State but it was hard to see Avalon and Kylee fall apart.  Everyone was sad.  I'm sure Averi and Reese were crying too.  But Avalon decided not to play club so this was the end of her soccer career.  And Kylee just loved her Hillcrest team so much, it was hard to see it end.

This is what Kylee posted, after a few days when the pain wasn't so raw.

Out of all the senior stuff, this was the hardest.