Children laced their boots, strapped on their shin guards and bored the cold, drizzling weather for the final games of the Marine Corps Community Services Youth Sports Soccer League that took place Saturday at Barnett Field.
In the 9- to-10-year-old league,the Jaguars defeated the Panthers in a3-2 thriller.
Both teams took time learning howto deal with the mud and slick grass early on.
It was the Jaguars who struck net first with a blast from the top center of the goalie box.
The Jaguars carried their momentum and strung together precisepasses, scoring a second goal five minutes later.
The Panthers tried to use their speed to penetrate the Jaguars defense, but the Jags proved to be unmovable and stopped the Panthers advances. They closed out thehalf 2–0.
The Jaguars again started the half strong and, in the first five minutes, a Jags forward blasted a 30-yard line drive into the top of the net.
The Panthers resilience was being tested, but they proved to be fighters. Five minutes later they answered with a goal of their own.
They continued their counterattack with another second goal three min-utes later.
The pendulum seemed to have swung in the favor of the Panthers.
The Panthers might have caught their break when a Jaguars defender was called for a foul in his own goalie box. The Panthers had a chance to put in a penalty kick for the tie.
With three minutes left in the game, all eyes were on the showdown going on in the goalie box.
The kick went wide left, leaving the score 3–2 in favor of the Jag-uars. That would prove to be thefinal difference.
The Jaguars celebrated theirvictory after the game, but both teams celebrated a fun season.
‘‘These kids are really picking up the game,” said Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Quintana, the Jaguars coach and a jet engine mechanic at Marine Helicopter Squadron One. ‘‘They love it. Through the year they have learned about teamwork and the fundamentals of the game. This league is great because it really helps them further their skill.”
Not only did the children findnew skills, but also a passion for the game and friends to share that passion with.
‘‘This is the fifth year our daughter has played soccer and she loves it,” said Sgt. Barry Conner, a parent and an administrative noncommissioned officer-in-charge at the administrativeservice center at the School of Infantry East. ‘‘We wouldn’t have her any place else. She gets to play with all her friends and, because they mix up the teams every year, she is always making new friends.”
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