Favorite Sports Memory


Someone asked the following facebook question: "What is your favorite sports memory?"


Mine would have to be the PAL soccer championship game when I was 14 years old. We were set to play against the Panthers, the only team who had beaten us all year. They had beaten us 4-2, after we had two goals called back (one I have conceded since then; the other I still can't accept). We were supposed to play them again on a Wednesday night (when I had church commitments), but that game was (thankfully) rained out.


In that championship game, the Panthers went up 3-0 very quickly (in the first 15 minutes). Right before halftime, I pulled one back on a PK, probably the worst PK I ever took (the only one I ever missed in a game was called back because the keeper moved early). Anyway, this one rolled under the (falling) keeper's right arm.

At halftime, I delivered a stirring speech, and we took the field. The wind, which had aided the Panthers for the first half, stopped, and it began raining. We took the game to them in the second half, scoring twice. After 90 minutes, we were locked at 3-3.

We went to overtime. Nobody scored for 15 minutes. We played an additional 15. No score. We went to Golden Goal (then it was called sudden death). No score for another 7 1/2 minutes. Then we got a free kick, way out by our team bench, probably 35 yards from goal. I can remember clearly telling Nathan C to wait until I got into the area so he could send a looping ball across to my head. He didn't wait at all and launched a shot over the keeper into the net.

Our team and coaches came sprinting, jumping, cheering, while the Panthers looked on in shock. Bob Carey, our coach and my best friend's dad (who died this past May), came running out, bellowing, and grabbed me and Nathan in a bear hug. I can still remember the joy on his face.

So that was my favorite sports memory. What's yours?