A Hero's Journey: Kevin S
This picture is one of the few moments that I’ve had at IDF that I will forever cherish and be proud of. It was taken back in 2016 after placing 2nd place in the Bethesda Premier Cup at Maryland. Although my team had not been crowned champions, and although this event took place three years ago, there were several significant events in this tournament that I could never forget.
The first game of this tournament taught me to never give up hope even when all hope seems lost. We were down 2-0 in the first 15 minutes of this game. Now, there were two things that I took away from this score at that time. Firstly, I thought we were going to be slaughtered in this game based on our performance so far. Secondly, thinking we would lose this game would put us out of the finals because only one team in each division will advance. I know both of these are bad mindsets during a game, but it is what I thought at this time. It wasn’t until 5 minutes later, that my mindset changed. The opposing team played a ball that wasn’t the best, I saw an opening at midfield and took off after the ball. Miraculously, I scored after several bad tackles including the keeper and some luck. This goal put us back in the game, and I realized that this team wasn’t any better than us. I don’t remember much from this point on, but I do remember being down 3-2 towards the end of the game. My team knew that losing this game would end our chances of making the finals, so with one last team effort, we equalized the score with seconds to spare. When the final whistle blew, I was swept with relief. Although it wasn’t the score I wanted, at least it gave us a chance to compete in the finals.
After dinner, I remember having a team meeting. I don’t remember what was said, but I know that at this team meeting, I learned that the first team we played had lost, which gave us a chance to secure a place in the finals with a win the next morning.
The third game and the most decisive game up to this point was a tough game. Both teams had equal skills and equal determination to make it to the finals. The game was basically back and forth, no team showing any momentum over the other. There wasn’t any turning point until Dillon got his second yellow card of the game, I was furious with the ref and the opposing team and I’ll assume my teammates were too. 15 minutes left in this game, score 0-0, IDF down one man, this wasn’t looking too good for us. Despite being one man down, the anger and determination in all of us made up for that empty spot on the field and more. Almost immediately after Dillon’s red card, Nayrobi earned us a penalty which Shanjan put away with ease. Now, the tides had changed, we were looking to defend this lead and the opposing team is now trying to equalize it. Immediately after that happened, Nayrobi did his magic and gave us another goal. The opposing team now lost all hope in this game. When the final whistle blew, we were so happy. This game taught me the same lesson as the first game had taught me, to never give up hope. This game also showed me determination combined with anger against the other side may as well be the deciding factor in who becomes victorious.
Despite the amazing performance of the previous game, we would end this tournament with a tragic loss in the finals. The end score was 2-1. Both goals we conceded were shots from just over half field, but because of the high wind, the ball found itself in the back of our net twice off of pure luck. The whole team felt downcast after this tragic ending to this weekend. I learned lots from this tournament. And without some luck here and then and the team’s determination, this weekend would never have happened like it did. This weekend in my past will be something I will never forget because, despite all the odds against us in several situations, we pulled through and placed 2nd. This weekend taught me to never give up hope and if you are reading this, you should never give up hope either. (:
- KEVIN S, IDF PLAYER SINCE 2015