"Winning isn't everything, but wanting it is."

Yesterday we had a home game against a rival team F.C United. They played last year in the Naistenliiga but were relegated this year to Division 1. GBK has had a hard time lining up against them in the past. We dominated the game and won 5-0. Brooke opened the scoring in the 15^th minute or so with a very nice volley that dipped under the crossbar. Within 10 minutes we were leading 3-0 off goals from Maya and another from Brooke. United held their defensive line very low and we controlled the ball for most of the game. I think we could have done a better job penetrating the defense and moving the ball faster. While we have been off to a great start there are still things we can and need to work on if we want to reach our goal of finishing first. It is important we got another 3 points and the shut out, and now we need to focus on our cup game on Thursday.


Brookie B's first goal

Thursday we are playing in the fourth round of the Finnish cup. This will be a good test for the team as we are playing the league team Ilves. I think if we show up with confidence and play to our ability we will win the game. The game is going to be a lot tougher then our past game so hopefully everyone is focused for our next few days of training.

Other stuff going on in Kokkola: We recently learned a shortcut to the other side of town… the train conductor told us we can cross the tracks as long as we look right and left first! Elis has started the school football tournament and they made it through to the next round. They get to miss school again this Tuesday to continue the tournament. He is so excited to play for the school and we have fun cheering them on. Monica and I have gone out on the lake in row boats. Thankfully we were in different boats as she stood up and tipped the boat enough for water to fill the entire thing! She ended up jumping ship and was swimming in 40 degree water in all of her clothes. Luckily everyone made it out safe and it was just a good laugh. The weather is starting to get a little nicer and hopefully in the next few weeks we will be able to have our first beach day! Its getting pretty depressing being this pale.

Check back next week for updates on our upcoming games!

Off to a good start..

Sorry for not blogging the past month, I have a lot to catch you all up on. Since I arrived back to Finland in April we have won 3 of our division games and 2 cup games.  I got back to Kokkola on the 17^th after an awesome time in the US with Ebba and Max. I hope they had as much fun as I did on their trip to the best country ever! Gbk wasted no time in getting me back in the game as the next afternoon we left for our 2^nd game in the cup series. I played pretty bad, (tried to blame it on the jetlag) but we ended up winning the game 4-3 in overtime. Thanks to my new roomie for saving my butt and scoring a hat trick! Overall it was a good team effort and everyone worked hard and fought till the end.

We have moved into our apartment, which is in prime location… the middle of town! We have a perfect spot for people watching and let me tell you, the city is sooo big and busy! I live with two other Americans, Brooke and Monica, and we have a three bedroom apartment. It is really spacious and we have lots of room for activities. We plan to eventually turn the living room out of a movie theater/3 person bedroom into a workout room for insanity, but let’s not move too fast now.  

We played our season opener at home against JYPK and won 1-0. The following Saturday we travelled to southern Finland to play. We set our alarms for 4:30 and met the train for a 5:10 departure. After two trains and a bus ride we finally got to the field. The game started off slow as it was obvious the traveling got to us. We were able to come out in the second half with more energy and played some decent soccer. We ended up winning 2-0 and had a lot more chances that we should have finished. Last Saturday we played our 3^rd game and won 5-0. The weather was awful; cold rainy, and sleeting at some points. We have another week of training before an away game against one of the frontrunners in the series. We are going to be missing 4 starters for the game but we are ready for the game and are prepared to go in and get the 3 points.

I have started work this week. I will be working for Robert at his company, RAIsoft doing some different things in management and marketing. My first task will be to compare the competitors with our company. I am also working for a company that sells and embroiders clothes and different little nic nacs. My job there is to do inventory and organize everything. So far the work at both places seem good and I think it will help to pass the days even though I do thoroughly enjoy my days off!

"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself"

Currently I am sitting in the Helsinki airport, waiting for my next connection on my trip back to the USA! I am returning home for about 3 weeks to prepare for Max and Ebba’s visit to my house. J They will come and stay with us for a week and half before I fly back to Finland for the season. They are only coming for a short time so we have a lot to do and see...fast! I am excited to get back home and enjoy the summer weather they have been lucky enough to have already.

This past weekend we took a trip to Turku to play two games. Saturday we played against TPS, a team in the Naistenliiga.  After about a 6 hour drive and many bathroom breaks we arrived to the field. The field was in awful condition.  Although it was turf there were huge puddles down both sidelines. I think we showed up with a good mentality and everyone was ready to play and win despite the divisional difference. It was a good test to the team as we pared up well against them.  The final score was 0-0. Both teams demonstrated good play throughout and both had a few good chances. Their best chance was in the first half on a penalty kick; I dove to the correct side and made the save. Our best chance came towards the end of the match when Maya broke through on a breakaway; the keeper came out and was able to parry the ball away. It was good to see some of the younger players getting stuck into tackles and the confidence the team showed.

After the game we went back to our hotel, had dinner and tried to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. On Sunday we woke up, ate breakfast and headed off to our next game. We were playing against FC Rauma who are also in our division. The field was really nice and the sun was shining. The game started off pretty slow and you could tell fatigue had set in. Although we played a bit slow we were the better team. We held control of the ball almost the entire game and created many chances. The game ended 4-1. It was a good weekend overall and we were able to see where we are at and what we need to continue working on before the season kicks off.

Finland, Round 3

I arrived to Finland on February 28^th after about 15 hours of traveling. I made all of my connections and managed to not lose my luggage...success! Robert, Elis, Otto and Fred (manager) were there to pick me up at the airport. Juliana, the new Nigerian on our team also arrived at the same time. They took us by our practice to say hi to everyone and then I came back to the Astrom’s to settle in and get some food. Although we are 7 hours difference I managed to adjust to the time difference quite well.  It was so great to see the family again and it seemed as if I hadn’t even left! They are letting me stay in Ebba’s room for the time being (what a great sis)!

The temperature is a lot colder here then the weather we had been having back home! Overnight it has been in the single digits and hasn’t hit above 30 or so during the days. We have gotten a new turf field outside and therefore we train and play our games outside from now on!! They keep telling me it’s beautiful weather now and I am lucky I wasn’t here a few weeks ago, I agree! We played two training matches on Saturday. The first game was against the league team, ONS and we lost 2-0. Although they maybe were the better team we were able to get some very good looks on goal. After the game we met Mormor (the Astrom’s grandmother) for lunch at Rax. She invited her grandchildren + me to go for lunch to celebrate all the winter birthdays. It is an all you can eat pizza and ice cream place and was very good. In the evening we played the second match of the day against JYPK. We won the game 2-1. We played very well throughout the first 30 minutes of the match. There were some good things we can take away from the games on Saturday as well as some things we will work on for the future.

On Sunday, Robert took Ebba, Elis and I snowboarding and skiing at a small place nearby. The chairlift proved to be quite a challenge for me at first. You must put the bar in between your legs for it to pull you up; I think I fell at least three times before I succeeded. Ebba just got a new snowboard and was able to try it out for the first time at the real hill. She was so good already! Elis skied and he even went over the little jumps they had made! Afterwards we enjoyed a family size pizza and then headed home. That is what I’ve been up to in my first week back in Kokkola and I am excited for the season to get going.

It's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember...

Last weekend our game was a bit of struggle. We have been hit with some injuries late in the season that caused us to change the formation and line-up.  While we went down a few goals in the first half, the second half we came out and didn’t give up.  We scored 2 late goals in the second half but we were unable to come out on top. The loss was tough to swallow because it now puts us out of the running for 1^st place.

We have only one game left on Saturday and although our position, we are going to give it everything we have. We want to end the season on a high note and play to the best of our abilities. We have had a good week of training and are ready to face a good team on their turf.  There is nothing left after Saturday so we need to leave everything on the pitch.

After the game on Saturday the team has arranged a sauna night. Sauna nights are not common or even existent back in the US. While it is a different experience, we have gotten used to it and they are a lot of fun! We will have games, sauna, swimming and of course some good food! On Sunday we will have a team dinner as Jackie, Kerstin and I are leaving early Monday morning. I cannot believe how fast the past six months have gone by.  I am thankful for everything I have learned, the people I have met and the different things I have been able to experience. I am so excited to get back home and see all of my family and friends, but things here will not be forgotten.  I am looking forward to spending time with the Astrom’s as well as my teammates this weekend.  Although I am not very good at good-bye’s I know this weekend will be a lot of fun!

"To achieve great things you have first to believe it."

This past Saturday we had an away game against JyPK. We previously lost the past 2 games against them this season and were seeking revenge. Coming off of what could have been our worst performance this season we were able to turn it all around. The game started off on the right foot. The energy, confidence and teamwork were present. From the kick off we were able to get a good look on goal and never looked back. About 20 minutes into the game Linda played Jackie a great ball; she was alone with the keeper out and was able to chip her perfectly. Before the half we put away two more great goals. After a counterattack on a corner I played the ball up to Tiia who went 2v1 to goal, when her shot was blocked Linda collected the rebound and placed a shot into the upper corner past the goalkeeper. The third goal came off a cross from Totti, as Jackie slid to tap it in, it hit the post! Jenna was there for the easy put back and we were up 3-0. JyPK didn’t give up and were able to put one away before the half came to a close. After I saved the initial shot off the crossbar, the forward beat me to the rebound for their only goal of the game.

Going into halftime we were up 3-1. In the locker room we discussed how we would need to manage the game and not give them any cheap chances. We did a fairly good job of this and kept them to only shots from distance. Tiia was putting on the pressure when she was able to intercept a pass and went in 1v1 with the keeper. She easily slotted the ball and we were up 4-1 and in a good position. We were able to bring many things away from the game today. We had many opportunities to score, the communication has improved and we worked well together as a team. Jackie my roommate was awarded the player of the game and she got some really nice cups for the apartment!


The win this past weekend was especially important because we are right where we want to be in the standings. Going into the final two games of the season we control our own destiny. The first place finisher of the season will rise to the league, and this is still within reach for our team. We have a goal set and each day we keep pushing ourselves towards that. While we know what lies ahead of us we need to be careful not to become too overconfident because that is when we play at our worst. We are going to go out there have fun and play our game, whatever happens, happens! We are off this weekend and will continue the series next Saturday with our final home game of the season.

Other things around Kokkola… the season is wrapping up and we only have 18 days left! So crazy how fast time has gone by, although I will miss everything and everyone here I am ready to get home and see my family and friends! Kerstin, Tessa and I took an ice bath in the Arctic Ocean the other day, lasted 10 minutes! We attended the opening of a new small turf field at one of the elementary schools. We played 5v5 agaisnt the kids and lost! Everyone was really excited and it was a fun opportunity.  After the game we signed some autographs for them. Media Café, the coffee shop we attend almost every day will be sad to see us leave. Us Americans probably spend the most time and money at this spot! This weekend I will be spending time with my second fam the Astrom’s and am looking forward to some time with them! Check back next week for another update!

Hejdå för nu!
Jamie

"Great teams work harder after a tough loss"

Saturday’s game was a tough one. We came out flat from the start and never improved. We didn’t play well together, passing was off, defending was bad and the morale of the team was not how it normally is. About 10 minutes into the game we went down 1-0 after Sport finished a breakaway. We went into the locker room down 1-0. We tried to figure out what was going on and snap out of it but the second half didn’t get much better.

In the second half the ref gave Sport a penalty kick. Although I dove to the correct side I was unable to get a hand on it and we went down 2-0. While the call was controversial there was some other plays made in the game that we got away with earlier. While it was clear we didn’t play to our potential, Sport took advantage of it and played the best I have seen them in the 3 previous games against them. With the loss we dropped to 2^nd place but the standings are so tight that anything is possible.

It’s a new day and now we need to come together as a team and continue working towards our goal. It’s important to not get hung up in what could have been and learn and forget about it while moving forward. We have 3 games remaining in the season and the team is working hard each day. We have a full week of training before our next match on Saturday. We will look to bounce back and prove that we belong in the top 2!

A special congrats to the Umass Lowell team for their recent tie against the #1 team in the country!