Moar Soccer

So yesterday I played soccer--one the the pickup games, although the format was different. Instead of a bunch of smaller teams (5-6 people) playing three 30-minute games with breaks on a half-size field, this was full-field soccer (2 teams with 9-10 people per team, a full field and a regular game which is usually 90 minutes or so). The pace of the game is different--longer runs, more time to set up plays and shots and goals and you're "on the spot" less. We had separated into teams and were talking about who would play where, and one of the guys on my team asked me "are you the girl who's never played before" (on the Meetup page for this group, you're supposed to indicate your level of experience). I said WTH? I play all the time. But right from the start that stuck on my craw--why are you asking about the "girl" who's never played before, why put me on the spot like that? So we're playing, and I'm playing a decent passing game and setting up shots nicely and taking LOTS of shots on goal, but NONE of them are going in. After one missed shot, the player who'd spoken to me before says to me "you need to set your foot like--" I put a hand in his face and said "I know how to shoot, thanks. The last time I played with these people I scored four goals in one game. I know how to play the game." Then a little while later, after another missed shot by me, Asshole chuckles "are you SURE you scored four goals last time you played? Ha ha! Just kidding! Ha ha!" DICK. However there was another player, Dmitri, who was *very* good--great striker who was all over the ball--who was praising me--this guy sought me out at halftime saying how "fierce" I was. Well, I do hate to lose...

The great thing was, I finally scored in the second half--twice. I literally knelt down and screamed at the first one, and everyone on the field was congratulating me, including the other team. Plus a couple of assists--sweet! And better yet, I got off a bon mot when Asshole (who, I will admit, had excellent ball skills) developed this annoying tendency to play keep away with the ball, instead of either trying to score (taking a shot) or passing the ball. After awhile Dmitri said something about it and I said loudly "you shouldn't be playing with your balls on the field--you need to save that for the bedroom. We're here to play soccer." Dmitri said "my kind of girl!" A little while later (I'd moved back to midfield to give someone else a chance at playing forward), Dmitri told me to move back to forward, saying "since you are actually trying to score!" I get hungry for goals, what can I say? :)