Noah had a great season playing for the Catonsville Elite.  He was coached by Tim Lovell and Alan Barnes.  I really like those guys. They kept the team very competitive.  They won all but one of their games, and won the league. Marcia and I missed many of his games because of lacrosse and field hockey.  We each got to only one or two games.  But we are so impressed and proud of Noah.

He hustles all over the field. The coaches don’t take him off the field. He is never cocky.  He is very humble. He takes care of business.  And he likes protecting his friend, Cole, who is the goalie. Noah is a defender, and takes his job seriously.  Check out his game face.

Congratulations to Noah and his teammates on another successful season, and a championship!

Marcia and I missed his championship game.  It was his last game of the season and fell at the same time as Liz’s IAAM championship game.  It also coincided with a tournament that I was coaching Maggie in for lacrosse.

I am very sad to miss any of the kids’ competitions, because I really enjoy watching them more than anything.  At the same time, I know that by putting less pressure on them that they play for themselves.  They are not out there to please me or their mom.

Noah is a competitor.  If he keeps the right mind set, I think he can go really far with sports.

Tomorrow, Noah plays in the championship game for his soccer league. He is 7 years old. And he is the team’s goalie.

I don’t remember having playoffs, sudden death matches and shootouts at age 7. Yet, that is what has been in store for the last week. Noah’s team has made it to the championship, winning the last game in double overtime. A few games have already gone to shootouts.

I do hope that he plays well and is confident in himself. My biggest worry is for a lack of sportsmanship. The outcome of a game will go one way or another. But how coaches treat the kids, how parents treat the kids, and most importantly, how players treat each other, has me hoping that the outcome is in my boy’s favor tomorrow. If things do break his way, I hope he has learned enough from me that he will treat his opponents with respect and congratulate them for a game well played.

Good luck, Noah. Your dad loves you no matter what!

There was no tearing his shirt off and playing up to the crowd.  But we were all cheering for Noah when he scored his first goal of the season.

  They won their game 2-0, and were all smiles on the sidelines.  Noah and his best friend, Jack, scored the goals.

The pair also must have knocked down every kid on the opposing team.  Noah really knows how to use his arms and his hips.

That’s what you should be saying if your son is playing against Noah, errr Mog, in soccer. This morning, Noah was slide-tackling and bumping all over the field. So were two other bruisers on his team. It was awesome to watch as a parent. After the game, I heard that the other coach was complaining about Noah’s physical play. I only have two words in response to that … Ha ha!