"What makes you better is how you react to it."

Yesterday we played our first game after a three week break.  The game was home against TJK.  The weather started off pretty hot (29c) and sunny.  Quickly that changed. The sky filled with clouds and heavy rain and thunder and lighting.  Back home if it was to lightning like this we would have paused the game and went inside.  Apparently here the rules are different because I kid you not; we could feel our hair sticking up during some of the storm!

Aside from the weather conditions we started the game off on the right foot.  We were creating some good chances in the first few minutes.  The first goal came 15 minutes into the match when Tess finished a great ball from Kerstin.  Just before the half Linda calmly placed a shot when Tess pulled the goalkeeper out of position. We went into the locker room up 2-0.

The second half started and only a minute in, I made a huge mistake. As the other team crossed the ball I went up to catch it, and the ball slipped through my hands and into the goal. Now the game was 2-1 and I was pretty upset with myself. The team was able to score three more goals after that and we won 5-1. My roommate Jackie scored her first goal of the season! About 30 yards out she took a shot that found the back of the net. The goalkeeper was a bit out of position and Jackie was able to take advantage of it.

The mental aspect of the game is huge for goalkeepers I believe. While other players on the pitch can make a mistake and go unnoticed, the goalkeeper is always remembered for the mistake he/she made.  Sometimes your self confidence will take a beating but you need to be able to put the mistake behind you and quickly move on from it. Mentally you have to be strong and how you move on from your mistake shows a lot about your character.

We have two more training sessions before we play our next cup game.  We are playing the league team from our city; therefore it will be a home game for both of us! They are expecting a crowd of almost 1,000. The team is especially excited for this game and as long as everyone believes in each other and themselves it will be a great game. We are determined to come out with a W and move on to the semifinals of the cup series. Check back later this week for an update of how the game went!

Hejdå för nu,
Jamie