When Goals Really Don't Matter

DH has had four soccer games so far this season. Four games, four losses, losing 2-1, 5-0, 10-2, and last night, 6-0. They were out ran on offense, out ball handled on defense, no goalie, and not really a killer instinct on the team. The record is irrelevant. When you lose consistently, and lose badly, it's important to think about the reasons why  she still is playing. DH has played with most of these girls since she was 8 years old starting out as 5 year olds playing a game that should have been called cluster ball, as they just moved around the field in clusters all kicking at the ball. Outside of soccer, she is really only good friends with one team mate, the rest in pairs,trios, and quartets of other social circles. As a team though, they have each others back. On goal four, with only a minute left in the half, all you heard was "nice try", and "let's get that one back." Winning once in a while is fun. Scoring goals is fun. However, the day I stop supporting my kid playing sports is the day when winning becomes the end goal. I'd rather she continues to hone her skills working along side a diversity of kids, but with sharing a commonality of the team. Ultimately being on this team will teach her more life skills than an undefeated season. I'd be OK though if maybe, just maybe, they  got a lesson or two out of a win as well.