Another loss, another win

We’re one and one for the last two days. Yesterday the Covenant varsity soccer team was beaten by Forsythe. I don’t remember the score. I do remember what Andrew said afterwards.

Many of you know that Andrew has not been very well since he returned from his trekking trip in August. He’s had a persistent cough, low energy, and had lost ten pounds. He was already a pretty skinny guy so he really didn’t have ten pounds to spare. Anyway, he played the entire game yesterday. He’s a fairly formidable defender. He doesn’t steal the ball much but puts lots of pressure on whoever he’s up against. He plays hard. After playing the entire game, he commented that he wasn’t even that tired. I was so glad to hear those words! At last, he seems to be on the mend. He is regaining his energy and his weight (he’s gained back four pounds so far). He is coughing less and throwing up less. Yeah!

Some of you also know that we had him tested for whooping cough. Well, to my surprise and skepticism, his test results came back negative. I’m not sure I believe the result. I won’t go into why I’m skeptical here, but suffice it to say that whatever he has, it is on its way out and he is well on the road to recovery. I am very thankful.

Matthew in the game today

Now, back to soccer. Today’s game was much more enjoyable. Covenant won against Graystone, 4-1 (I can remember the score when we win). What I really enjoyed was that throughout the entire game, there were always two of my guys on the field. Joel even got about 25 minutes of playing time. Andrew played almost the whole game, again on defense. Matthew had a lot of playing time, too, and came very close to scoring a goal. My mother’s heart just swells with love and pride and delight when I see my boys out there playing so hard.

It is also a hoot to see my Joel up against boys much bigger than he is. One of the guys on the other team, who towered about a foot over Joel, said to him during a break in the play, “Dude, what grade are you in anyway?” Though he’s the smallest one on the field, Joel doesn’t shy away from contact. He got knocked down twice and both times the ref called a foul. One of the times, Joel was definitely fouled, but the other time I think the ref just called it because Joel was smaller! Joel said he was a little nervous but he played well and had some nice touches on the ball. He’ll probably get some more playing time in the varsity game next Tuesday, so he’s excited.

Tomorrow we go to Morganton for Thomas’s football game. I am driving up early with a car full of teenagers – should be interesting and entertaining. Looks like it will be a lovely fall day, perfect for a late afternoon football game. It may even be cool enough for a blanket and hot chocolate. I hope so.

That’s it for the Friday sports report. Enjoy your Saturday, everybody.