Twinsmania!: Fall Soccer Yearbook '19

"The Winds of Change" a signature song from the early 90s and also a key theme from the Fall Soccer season. The roster had an uncharacteristic overhaul as 10 remaining players welcomed 6 new teammates - the new players spanned 4 other teams including talent that joined us all the way from Maryland! Contributors came in all shapes and sizes and shortly after the season started we welcomed a new Assistant Coach (Coach Steven) who brings 17 years of experience and an Audi SQ5 to the table. Change is not without stress and we would experience highs and lows during a roller coaster season. The team would finish strong and we would even invite some players from a rival organization to create a massive 18 player squad for the annual McKinney Fall Classic Tournament. Here's how it all played out...

Paying dues - The Fall season brought soaring temperatures for practices and several games - this was easily our hottest pre & regular season as a litany of workouts were pushed to after 6pm due to triple digit temperatures

6 new players joining our returning 10 brought a new feel to the team & practice

Game 1 vs Cheetahs

Mid 90s temperatures, heat index of 105+, and Field Turf made this an unprecedented environment for a game. To further challenge the players, it was our 1st game on a much larger regulation sized field. After slugging out a tough 1st half we found ourselves trailing, roasting & rattled at halftime. Things turned quickly in the 2nd half while conditioning won the day and the Dolphins rallied scoring 4 times to win 4-2.

This game has been described as "Armageddon" and compared to playing on the surface of the sun! Easily the most difficult conditions we have had for any game!

This is what your bright white brand new game ball looks like after rubber literally melted onto it due the the scorching conditions

Week 2 vs Allen Pixes

Another hot game with temperatures in the 90s, but a grass field and drop in humidity made for slightly more palatable conditions. It was our 1st true road game as we headed to Allen and Celebration Field for the noon start. The Dolphins kept the ball on their opponents side the majority of the 1st half and cruised into halftime with a 2 goal lead - both scores Assisted by Jordan, including a Corner Kick goal. The Dolphins would trade scores in the 2nd half and win 3-1.

Hot/sweaty walk across the field after the game

Bill Sr & Joan were in town and beat the heat, enjoying the win in the shade of a tree just off the field

Week 3 & 4

Our 2 game winning streak came to a screeching halt against the Diamonds as an injury bug caused multiple players to miss significant time in the game. The Dolphins had several missed scoring opportunities early but the Diamonds excelled on the larger field with an aggressive defense. The Dolphins were shut out for the 1st time in 10 games 0-3. The next week we would head to McKinney to play the Force significantly "under-manned" with 4 players out including 3 Goalies?!? Our opponents were large 7th grade girls with strong shots that would connect 6 times in the game (tieing a dubious team record for goals allowed). Jordan led a solid offense attack scoring twice and we trailed by 1 with < 10 minutes left before conceding 2 late scores in the 3-6 loss. No pictures from either of these games...

Week 5 vs McKinney Raiders

Licking our wounds after the 1st back-to-back losses in 9 seasons we headed to Toyota Stadium to play another 7th grade team from McKinney. This team brought a loud and generally negative crowd which disrupted the officials at times. The Dolphins dominated the action spending most the game on their opponents side eventually building up a 3 goal lead - one coming off a Jordan Corner Kick and all scored by our Left Striker. A bad play on defense would cause us to concede a Free Kick goal late in the 3-1 win.

Awaiting opening kickoff

Jordan sneaks a few looks at & away from the camera during breaks in the action

Week 6

Our win less week 6 opponent used Columbus Day weekend as an excuse to chicken out of our game and forfeit. The Dolphins rise to 4-2 on the reluctantly accepted victory - we even tried to get an opponent on a bye week to scrimmage us - they declined making us one of the only teams to get denied for soccer twice in a week : (

Week 7 vs Allen United

2nd place was on the line against a good 7th grade team. Our opponents controlled the action out of the gate putting the Dolphins on the defensive early. Trouble started at the midpoint of the 1st half when the officiating crew called for a puzzling water break - at 80 degrees we were 10 degrees under the threshold for extra breaks. The break lingered for 6+ minutes costing valuable game time as the crew made another mistake and in the melee of restarting the game we conceded a bad goal off a play by a confused defender. Minutes later a rattled defense would it concede a 2nd score and we carried a 2 goal deficit into the half. Our play improved in the 2nd half and we capitalized on Free Kick score when Jordan launched a strong shot that spun off the hands of the Goalie and into the net - in another head scratching call the referees did not count the goal stating it did not fully cross the line although it was clear the Goalie had to go into the goal to get the ball. The Dolphins could not recover from the disappointing decision and dropped the game 0-2. For the 1st time in over 80 coached games, we filed an official complaint regarding the officiating in the game to which the league admitted "our bad" on multiple issues.

Coach Brian looks to rally the team from a 2 goal halftime deficit

Week 8 vs Cheetahs

We book-ended the season vs the Cheetahs - the opener was close to 100 degrees, the rematch would bring temps < half of that. Much was on the line as we were playing for 3rd place. Medals were out of scope for the 1st time in team history but pride was on the line. Little motivation was needed...or was it - the opening 10 minutes of the game was as flat a performance you'll see from the Dolphins and we dug an 0-2 deficit on multiple bad/low effort defensive plays. The team dug deep and did not give up - Jordan sparked a rally when she scored off a well centered pass. We would tie the game just before the half. The surge carried directly into the 2nd half and we had a 2 goal lead within minutes - the Dolphins would coast to the 4-2 win securing 3rd place in the loaded Gold Division. Unfortunately there are no photos from the game.

McKinney Fall Classic

Despite the 3rd place finish the roster was strong and worthy of post season play. We would bring on 4 players from a rival team and a large 18 player roster to the party. Hot Fall weather turned sour in November and half our tournament practices were rained out. We still managed to work hard & bring our best to McKinney.

Game 1 vs GLASA Team Mayhem

We landed the coveted 8am Saturday morning game slot and were welcomed by a frost covered field and mid 30s temperatures - despite the conditions we felt good due to being undefeated in games played < 40 degrees. We were facing the 2nd place team from a rival league and outplayed them significantly despite a scoreless halftime tie. The tie would not hold and we would score 3 successive goals throughout the 2nd half - 1 coming off a Jordan Corner Kick making it 3 specialty scores for the season. The Dolphins walked away with a 3-0 win in one of our more impressive performances of the season. Unfortunately no pictures from the game.

Game 2 vs DSA Panthers

What a difference a few hours makes - our 2nd game of the day fell in the afternoon and much more manageable temperatures. With kickoff around 4pm, significant games were happening all around us and cheering from various fields at different cadences made for an unbelievably motivating environment. We were now facing the top team from another rival league and blasted out of the gate with a strong score, assisted by Jordan (her 2nd of the tournament), just minutes into the contest. The Panthers were strong and rebounded by tieing the game and later scoring a backbreaking and preventable goal just before the half. In a spirited 2nd half, each team would miss scoring opportunities and despite a strong push to close the game, the Dolphins fell 1-2.

Jordan & Taylor celebrate an early goal!

Jordan races upfield...

...wins the ball...

...makes a move and centers the ball to a teammate

More Jordan - not her strength but here she attacks the ball

Taylor handles this high bouncer well...

...and blasts it back to our opponents side of the field

Game 3 vs BCSA Pink Widows

The costly loss put us in must win territory against a team that traveled 3 hours (from Abilene, TX) to ,play in the tournament. The Dolphins came out and once again set the pace early, punching our opponents in the mouth, and scoring an early goal. For the next 10-15 minutes we would have several other scoring chances and mishandled several point blank shots en route to a halftime tie. The game would battle to a brutal 2nd half stalemate as game play would tighten. The game would end in a tie - our 1st tie in over 30 contests. Congrats to the Pink Widows who would go on to win the tournament championship.

Always great to see Jordan & Taylor playing together