Jefferson Roblee: Since our last conversation a lot has happened...all exciting and memorable. So the question is...Where do I begin? Let's start at the men's National Championships parade and banquet. The men had a Mardi Gras style parade (Mardi Gras started in Mobile by the way...at least that's what we've been told 100 times...the people here in LA ((Lower Alabama)) are very proud). By the end of the parade every player had beads around his neck...and moods seemed to be very good. The banquet, like most banquets, had it's blend of awkwardness and joy but in the end it's a rich opportunity for all the teams to take a look at each other... Kind of like a pre-fight press conference for a title fight.
Before the men's banquet had ended WJC Assistant AD Joel Lueken (a.k.a. "The Transporter") drove me out of Orange Beach. Our destination...classified. WJC Athletic Director Dr. Darlene Bailey (a.k.a. "Dr. NightRider") was waiting for us at a secret rendezvous point. Dr. NightRider completed the drive to Decatur, Alabama...arrival time: 1:30am. In a few hours I would be having breakfast with the WJC women.
Game Day (wooo!): Breakfast with the women was good. The players had their game faces on early...it was going to be a good day. The WJC women kicked off at 10:00am vs Kansas Wesleyan University (a team we beat 3-0 earlier in the season). Setting: The championship field was soft, the weather was a bit cold and there was inconsistent wind. We were victorious 1-0 over Kansas Wesleyan in a game we had to battle. Senior defender Sarah Williams scored our only goal from a free kick from distance. Freshman goalkeeper Kelli Sontag had a strong performace recording the shutout...including making a brave save in the final second of the game. Every player gave a determined effort in a satisfying victory over a strong KWU team. I could go into a lot more detail about the game...but from all the text messages, calls, voice mails and emails the team has received it's clear that everyone reading this blog was either at the site in Decatur, Alabama (we had awesome fan support at the stadium) or was cheering us on from the watch party in the cage at WJC (see earlier blog) or was watching via the internet. TO ALL WJC FANS....THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT! The coaching staff was very proud of the players and we're all excited about advancing to the Elite Eight and progressing on our Alabama Adventure.
Coach Cissell, WJC Athletic Trainer Jess Gracia, Dr. NightRider and I were all planning on having lunch with the women after the game in Decatur however the purchasing of championship merchandise delayed the women's lunch plans and forced us to hit the road before we could eat. We needed to be in Orange Beach by 7:30pm...we arrived at 6:54pm.
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Eeeeek! So excited for you all!
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