2019-20 Lawrenceville Soccer Diary #4

Game Day Diary

Bus Ride to Choate Rosemary Hall

Basic Information of Day:

- Date of Match: September 22nd, 2019 (Saturday)

- Played Box-to-Box Midfielder

- Played against Choate Rosemary Hall (Away)

- Final Score: 0-1 Win

Positive Points about Today's Game:

- Showed great dominance in first half

- Was able to keep possession High Pressure Efficiently (kept opponents on opposition side during throw-ins and goal-kicks)

- Great Through crosses to Striker (Striker extremely quick)

- Overall Possession Percentage was around 80% (Lawrenceville) to 20% (Choate)

Negative Points about Today's Game:

- Unfortunate Face Injury (Stitches, Recovery Time: 1 or 2 weeks)

- Winning more Aerial Duels

- Shifting Transition from Attack to Defense (although certainly improved from previous games)

- Taking quick shots when you can inside the danger box zone area

- Making the opportunities count as our team had multiple scoring opportunities in the both the first and second half

Main lesson learnt for future games:

"Injuries are evidence that you are working hard" - Kyle Park

Photo of Injury Before Stitches

This was my first major injury while playing soccer and I was in great shock for hours and hours. For context, my chin got cut when I jumped simultaneously with a Choate defender and the back of his head powerfully hit the side of my chin, creating the massive impact. Luckily, the Choate's defender wasn't injured after the collision. I tried my best to keep a positive mindset by telling myself that this injury wasn’t bad at all. I confidently told myself that I should never be afraid in the upcoming games and pull out during aerial duels to avoid injuries and constantly fight for the ball like I did against Choate. After all, because of the clearance, it might’ve saved the team from a goal or a shot on target. Although the recovery period is not certain at this time, it is likely that I might miss out on next Thursday's game but if I am lucky and given the permission from the infirmary, I will certainly be able to play that day. Lastly, I would like to genuinely thank every player on the JV squad, my school mates, and staff members for encouraging me and supporting me after my injury! I'll come back even stronger!