Let's hear it for the Red Fireballs!!

A few posts back, I mentioned how much Brie was enjoying her fall soccer season. At the time, I said that because she was playing confidently, had great teammates and the team had a winning record, too. Well, it just got better and better...and the Red Fireballs qualified for the SAY North tournament two weekends back...and won!! The weather was FRIGID and the girls played three games in two days (the second one was won in penalty kicks!), but they won their final game and became tournament champions!!

The girls were so proud and delighted with their hard work.

Brie's first sports trophy!!

But the fun did not end there! The Fireballs qualified for the State Championship (!!), so this past weekend, we headed to States with pretty much all of Ohio. Driving there was worse than going to a professional sporting event or big name concert. And parking was worse!

Ready to cheer on Brie and eat some snacks! (Can you tell it was warmer for the State Champs than the regional tournament??)

The girls won their Saturday game (woohoo!), so that meant we returned on Sunday.

This time, we had a hunch that we were finally in for a real challenge. The other team's players were bigger, faster, more skilled and did I mention that they had a mascot?! Some dad was dressed in a Bulldog costume! :-O

Our girls played their hearts out, but we were clearly outmatched. The other team scored several goals in just the first few minutes and our keeper never even saw them blow past her face!

Like in all good games, though, Brie's team rose to the challenge and, in no time, were really holding their own.

They only let in one goal in the second half AND the Fireballs scored the final goal!! The girls certainly could hold their heads up high after getting a goal on such a good team. (Speaking of goals, Brie's buddy Ellie scored every single goal in both tournaments. So impressive!)

Let's hear it for the Red Fireballs! Even though they lost, it was still a great game. Yes, that is poor Brie crying in the back. She took the loss really hard. But a snack and Gatorade helped take the edge off. All of the parents were incredibly proud of how hard the girls worked and how far they got. What an amazing season!

And lots to look forward to in the spring!!