Day 8: April 4, 2008
It was Game Day #2! Preparation for today's game went much like the first one. We woke up and had breakfast as a team at 8am. After breakfast we had a light jog/stretch to warm our muscles up and keep them loose. We knew this was a very important game so everyone did what they had to do personally to get pumped during the free time before lunch. On a not so good note, Rissa woke up not feeling so well. We had our trainer give her some medicine and hoped that some rest before the game would help! Before we left for the field, we had our pregame meeting in the hotel to discuss some quick points. I could tell the anticipation of this game was getting to all of us. We were ready for a better outcome. As like the other game, we had to wait in the locker rooms before we could warm up on the field. Walking out onto that field is an amazing feeling. I don't have enough words to describe it but it's just one of those moments you can never forget!
The game started with a bang. Our ladies were on fire, we had our chances in the first couple of minutes and in no time Yah Yah (Kenya Cordner) scored the first goal of the game as well as of the tournament for us! We held the lead for a bit but Costa Rica came back with an answer and tied the game 1-1. Our ladies did not put their heads down as not long after Maylee Attin-Johnson scored off a beautiful cross from Darcel (Akeela Mollon). We went into halftime with a 2-1 lead. To my excitement Coach Shabazz told me I was going to start the 2nd half at left back. I was nervous but knew that some nerves were good to have and that would drive me to play my best. As I ran onto the field, I knew this was the real deal. I had just earned my first International Cap. But that wasn't as important to me at that moment than knowing I had a job to get done. Rissa also made her first International appearance with about 20 min or so left in the game. Holding a 2-1 lead is not the easiest thing to do. We had some chances in the second half and so did Costa Rica. The game was coming to an end and all we wanted to do was walk away with a win. To our disappointment Costa Rica capitalized on a goal with less than 2 minutes left in the game. We were not happy with the tie after such a good performance but at the end of the day we all knew that things don't always work out the way we want them to.
After changing we watched half of the Jamaica vs USA game and then headed back to the hotel. We ate a late dinner and then everyone retired to their rooms for the night. It was to our realization that our fate of whether we would advance to the next round rested on the outcome of the Canada vs Costa Rica game on Sunday....
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