JV Soccer

 What a joy it was to watch these boys play soccer this fall! Cody and Jaden loved being on a JV team with their classmates. In fact, their school's co-ed team was almost entirely made up of 5th graders-- all but two players were in the boys' grade. The team was a talented bunch and played so hard at every game. We were especially proud to watch these two and see them grow this season.

CODY

Cody had such a passion for soccer this season. He loved playing and would get so excited about the games. Cody was a regular goalie throughout the season and made many great saves. He learned a lot about when to leave the goalie box to approach the ball and developed quite the powerful drop-kick. On the field, he played nearly every position, so he had to be very versatile. He probably played attacker most often and scored several goals during the season. Cody showed great, confident ball control and regularly looked to pass to his teammates.

The funniest part of the season is that Cody was given a jersey with the #3 ironed on backwards. He really embraced this and proudly called himself "number E!" Jason also loved shouting out "Go, E!" to support Cody from the sidelines. Several of the parents told us they appreciated this as well. It helped them identify "CodEE" apart from Jaden on the field. :)

 

Cody and Jaden got to play soccer against their cousin Ryan for the first time this season. It felt weird seeing them on opposing teams after the past many years of playing soccer together. The boys faced Ryan's team twice during the regular season and lost the first game but won the second.

Here are some of Cody's other action shots-- throw-ins,

goal kicks,

scoring goals!,

and being an attentive goalie. :)

JADEN

Jaden was a very dependable player for his team this year. He worked hard and willingly played any position. He played goalie for half of most games. This was a big change for him, as last year Jaden was allowing his broken finger to heal and didn't play goalie at all. He was a heads-up goalie and made many great saves during the season.

When out of the goalie box, Jaden played midfielder most often but was a tough competitor in any position. He was able to control the ball well, kick hard, and pass the ball accurately. Jaden scored a few goals this season too!

Jaden was often called upon to do throw-ins and goal kicks. He could launch the ball so far on throw-ins and did a great job of keeping his feet on the ground.

Goalie Jaden in action...

We loved our team of Salem coaches this year. Coach Boldt, Coach J (the goalie coach), and Coach G were so encouraging to the players, helped them hone their skills, and continued to inspire a love for the sport. Most of all, these coaches pointed the kids to Jesus by beginning each game in prayer and modeling good sportsmanship. We couldn't ask for a better trio!

This amazing group of kids ended their season with 3 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. Not a bad record when you're a team of mostly 5th graders. All of their hard work came to a head at the end-of-the-season tournament. These kids played three tough games in one day, in super hot temperatures, and won every single one! They were so very proud to walk away with the 1st place trophy for this tournament.

 What a great season! Goooo Saints!