Sodium Splits Second Day of Timbers Jamboree

vs U15 FCV Explosion
In the morning game Sodium faced a tough Vancouver squad. Play was rough and the evenly matched teams were deadlocked at 0-0 going into the half. Remember, Sodium was missing 8 ODP players going in but was joined by a handful of Sapphire players just as the game got underway. Second half was just as the first had ended, deadlocked, until an apparent offside Explosion goal late in the second half gave the FCV squad a 1-0 victory.
Sodium definitely outplayed FCV but just couldn't find the net despite considerably outshooting their opponent.
Side Note: FCV Explosion went on to defeat the OR 96B ODP team 4-0.

vs U15 Black Hills FC
In a word, WOW! In the night game Sodium was sporting a near full roster with 6 of the 8 ODP players joining the fun. And fun it was. Coach Tom had mentioned that with this years squad he has many options that weren't available last year and he showed us just a taste today. For example Sodium was sporting a 4-3-3 set and sometimes shifted into a 4-2-4 depending on personnel. Nice to have that problem. Even though these girls were exhausted from playing 2 or more games prior, they made it look easy. Sure, this was the first time this season that almost the entire roster was there so there was awkward moments but for the most part you could tell this team is going to go far, very far. The lady warriors are getting comfortable with each other. Becoming friends and sisters who will do battle many, many times together this season. There were moments of brilliance from the 4 horsemen on defense to the pin point passes and verbal banter of the mids and forwards. This team was having fun and it showed! The lone score came when Lexi left her defender looking like she was standing still, challenged the keeper who went down, and she calmly sidestepped her and walked the ball into the net. Whether it was the keeper deflecting a KJ rocket or Mac, Hannah and Laura taking pot shots, Sodium must have out-shot the Black Hills squad 15 to 1 or more to take home the 1-0 victory. With the talent pool of this years squad I'm sure coach Tom is confident to put just about any player in any position and achieve greatness.

Special thanks goes out to Stephani Day and the 5 players from Sapphire who helped out Sodium this weekend. Stay tuned ladies, we may be calling on your help again soon!

Make sure to call/email or talk to Emmy this week and give her encouragement and wish her a speedy recovery as she nurses a an ankle injury back to health.

Check your email for upcoming practice times & venues and dates/times of games scheduled for 6/6 & 6/7. If your like me, you've already bought your ticket to the next show....

Covered in Aloe the Sodium fans scream: GO SODIUM!

Sodium Unifies For A Win

The first time the lady warriors have taken the field since the heartbreaking quarter finals loss they emerged victorious! Time to put things behind us Sodium. The wounds are healing and you have shown you possess the maturity to move on. Nicely done.
With only 12 players including 'rookies' Kelly, Taylor, KJ, Shelby and Stephanie from Platinum, Sodium showed signs of brilliance. The absence of 8 ODP players didn't cause Sodium to miss a beat as Hannah, Mac and Marisa carried the load most of the day at forward spot. KJ subbed in as she was between ODP games. Midway through the first half Mac took a perfect lead pass from defender Erika, beat up the defender and slammed in her first goal of the season! In the heat of the day the crowed roared! A momentary lapse in defense allowed the Timbers Red team to tie the score just before half. No problem for the Sodium veterans as they kept their cool and composure on the field. With just under 5 minutes left in the match the "Mac attack" was on again! Mac streaked up the left hand side penetrating deep into Timbers territory. She ripped a rocket off the keeper and a diving Marisa Reid smashed in and took herself, the ball and keeper into the net for the win!! Hands down the most exciting play of the game brought all fans to their feet with a roar!!
I have a feeling this may just be a microcosm of what this season has in store. Patience, ball handling, communication and then, when the opportunity presents itself, and all out bloody attack and SCORE!!
Hats off to you lady warriors. For the first time this season you took the field and walked away with a victory. You came together with a partial roster and very little preparation time. The 'rookies' stepped up and the team came together. The odds didn't look in your favor since 8 players, all who are potentially in the starting rotation, where not on the bench, the team you were playing was the old CPFC Royal [might have spelled it wrong?] team who beat us up in the past, and when the game started, you had no subs! You kept your composure, were patient and attacked when the opportunity presented itself.

All signs of a championship team!

Next Up: U15G FCV Explosion on field #6 @ 10:30am.

While we lather on sunscreen your fans will yell: GO SODIUM!

Introducing the 2009 - 2010 THUSC United Sodium!!

[As the applause dies down...]

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new players and their families to the team and say "Welcome back" to those returning players:

Taylor Luty Taylor joins the squad as our new goalie (jersey #14 under that goalie gear). Taylor’s performance against Sodium in April was amazing and we look forward to having her stop the balls FOR Sodium instead of against us. Many of you were able to meet Taylor and her parents (Paul and Shelley) at the end of season breakfast.

Kelly Priest Kelly will step onto the field of green in jersey #6. Kelly and her parents Darla and Terry join us after a great showing by Kelly in this years try-outs. Kelly has 2 sisters and 1 brother…this weekend they will be in Bend with her brother’s baseball tournament…so sports are a big hit in their family.

Katelyn James Katelyn and the James Gang Family have also joined the squad after Katelyn’s try-out performance. “KJ”, as the girls have been calling her, will be wearing #2. She is a member of the 95 ODP squad and will commute across the river from Vancouver, WA to play with Sodium.

Last but not least,
Andrea Theriau Andrea has accepted a spot on the Sodium roster. Andrea’s mother Shelisa and younger sister were able to join us for our impromptu pot-luck at the training/try-out session last Friday. The Schroeder’s live in Grants Pass and will make the trek north each weekend to be with the team. Andrea is a member of the 96 ODP squad so the commute is nothing new. Andrea’s jersey # has not been selected yet.

The returning players for team Sodium are:

• #1 Lexi Frey


• #10 Laura Camp


• #18 Erika Cook


• #3 Emmy Owens


• #11 Payten Sonnen


• #19 Marisa Reid


• #5 Eli Beard


• #13 Mac Kearney


• #23 Katherine Kramer


• #7 Jadyn McMillan


• #16 Hannah Lautenbach


• #44 Taylor Moscoe


• #9 Aliyah Chance


• #17 Taylor Coon

Sodium welcomes all of you to the team and we are so excited for the games to begin!

The foundation has been laid for the 2010 team. New players, new uniforms, new attitude. With 8 ODP players and 10 of the most tenacious players on the field, this years squad promises to bring the excitement with every game. Technical, physical, speed & quickness, the lady warriors possess all the tools to continue the legacy that is Sodium.

So loyal fans, sit back, take a breath and hold on tight....this year plans to be a incredibly wild ride!

With tickets to the show in hand, your loyal followers scream; GO SODIUM!

[ Thanks to Kristina Cook as I plagiarized most of this post from her email :) ]

It's about guts and giving it everthing

I wanted to share an interesting thing I witnessed this weekend. It was at the CYO Meet of Champions that was held Saturday and Sunday at Jesuit High School and involved the 4x100 relay team and Taylor's little sister Payton. Payton runs for the Cub [younger] division for St. Pius X. Now the team from The Madeleine had been dominating the sprints at the Cub level all afternoon. The St. Pius X coach pulled the 4x100 relay team aside and told them that they are going to concentrate on the 4x400 relay since that was our only chance to get to the championship and that 3 of the 4 spots would now be filled by the alternates [one being Payton]. These 4 girls had never stepped foot on a track together and they didn't even know each others names! They grabbed a baton and headed to the infield to practice. Up in the stands talk was about St. Pius X not getting beat too badly and how hard this was for the girls as we watched them drop the baton and fumbled through hand-offs. In the stands the Madeleine team watched. They had won their heat easily.
The announcer announced the event and the girls took their perspective position around the field. Taylor's sister had been given the honor of anchor for this heat. The starter raised the pistol and BANG, the race was off! Around the first turn there really wasn't much position change. The St Pius X team was holding onto the 5th place spot. Miraculously the hand off went smooth as a couple other teams faltered the exchange. St Pius X began to ease into the 4th spot, then 3rd. The second hand off was flawless as these little girls began to believe. The third leg picked up even more ground and caught the first place All Saints team. As they rounded the last turn to the final hand off the crowd began to rise. Could this happen? Could this team of alternates be for real? Could this team actually place? When Payton took the hand off she left the box like a rocket. The All Saints anchor was right on her heals. But for today, for this moment, no one would catch her. Not today.
Down the back straight in front of a packed Jesuit grandstand, the St Pius X anchor exploded. The crowd was on their feet roaring! As Payton crossed the finish line ahead of the rest, the place went absolutely nuts! No one, not the coaches, not the fans or other teams believed this team had a shot. But it only took 4 to believe, and believe they did. They gave it their all, more then anyone thought they had, because they believed in themselves. They will now represent St Pius X in the Championship heat the following day.

So I guess the moral here is you gotta believe. That is why I always prefer to be the underdog. Teams write you off and then they don't prepare as hard, they don't practice or train as hard. And then when it comes to "Go Time", they are unprepared and the underdog will come up and bite. Do you think those other relay team girls thought St Pius X had a shot with 3 alternates? Do you think that anyone in the stands gave them a shot? The only people who believed were the ones on the field. They were scared but do you think they ever thought of giving up? Or giving any less than their very, very best? Not on your life.

So lady warriors, the next time you take the field against an opponent who may be older, faster, bigger, just remember this little relay team. Remember how the only thing they thought about was giving it their all.

If you think you can, you can. If you believe you can, you will.

GO SODIUM!

Sideline Views

As try-outs are now half over, with only two remaining, I wanted to highlight a few things about the upcoming 2010 season.

• There are going to be some new faces
Some you all know, some you do not. With this there is baggage. It has been this way on every team before Sodium, it will be this way on every team after Sodium. It is how you deal with it that will separate you from the average team and elevate you to greatness. It is how you mold yourselves from individuals, with individual attitudes and agenda's, to a team. That is the most important of all things to remember. Put everything else aside, and put the team first.


• Not all of last years team will be this years team
Sad but true. The warrior you fought with for the last 12 months may not join you in this years journey into battle. This is the cold truth. Doesn't mean you can't keep in touch. The important thing here is the right attitude. You have to remember that decisions are made that affect the team. Nothing personal. The team will grow and evolve many times before it is over. I hate to be this blunt, but get over it. You can still have friends, just now they may play for another team and be making new ones, that's all.


• ODP is not the answer to everything
We have an entire team of quality athletes. Many of them play ODP. But, just because you are an ODP player does not give you the right not to give 100% at practice or games. You need to work just as hard as everyone else to be the best you can be. As a matter of fact, you should be working harder so you can lead by example. There will be no slackers or slouches on the 2010 Sodium squad. Tom & Nikki will guarantee that.


• The target has been lifted
Now that the target has been placed squarely on Lake Oswego's back, Sodium can kick back and see how they like it. [just for this year] Sodium can now concentrate on getting down to business. Finding the right player combinations, fitting players into positions where they can best contribute to the team and best utilize their talents.


• Preparations begins now!
We have 12 short months to get back to the top. That means we need to pay attention to what Coach Tom said at State Cup about proper sleep, nutrition, health and putting in time away from the field. Combine those things with practice schedules and the tons of tournaments we are slated to play this year and Sodium will be unstoppable.


• Attitude begins now!
I know you all go to school with players from other teams. Whether it's FC or Sherwood, Lake Oswego or SSC, do not EVER let them think they will have it easy with Sodium. If they start giving you attitude, you give it right back! None of these teams have won as many State Championships as Sodium has and this is just the start! None have been to Regionals. FC has had two second places!? You hold your head high and you represent the BLACK of Sodium with pride. Let the record speak for itself and you'll do the talking on the field.

Best of luck at try-outs lady warriors.

"Trample the weak, hurdle the dead!"

GO SODIUM!

Try Out Update

With 2 of the 4 sessions completed we saw some new faces emerging on the field. Their were some players from FC, OSA, WSM to name a few. Even some players from our own Platinum team showed up to show how far they'd progressed. New talent was visible across the field and in every position. The next 2 sessions will be interesting because those are normally filled with players who have been to try outs for their current teams and now are looking at the possibility of making a switch. I will post another update after the 5/12 session and keep all the loyal followers updated.

Tom, Nikki and the staff will have their hands full trying to pull the best of the best to represent Sodium in 2010.

Best of luck to all who are trying out!

I will post the roster once it is made available.

GO SODIUM!

Try Outs

As try outs approach you must keep in mind that not only have you played against these girls in the past, you may play against them in the future. Not only have you faced them in club soccer but you may face them again in High School and possibly in College. So, be welcoming of them, embrace them and learn from them. Invite them into your team with open arms. Be welcoming of your returning teammates as well as new hopefuls who add to the mix. What shakes out of these tryouts will be your future, will be the new lady warriors, will be Sodium 2010.

These girls may very well be who you look across the field and see one day. They may be covering our back in future State Cups. So play hard, have fun and welcome them.

GO SODIUM!

So, how do you like it??

I am hoping all will like this. If not, I am always open to suggestions. Special thanks to Taylor C who showed me how to use a killer application online called Photobucket that she uses on her Myspace page.[of course]

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Now, you know, I could miniaturize pictures of the Sodium players and photoshop them onto the playing field. I could also pull headshots of all the parents and inject them randomly into the stands. But alas, I have a life.

SodiumFan