September 10, 2006

UP lost 1-0 to UNC. Going into the match, there was a great deal of question as to which of these soccer powerhouses would win the game, so a loss did not come as total surprise, but what enraged me and has me in such a state is that an atrocious ref played way too big a part in determining the game. Skill, talent, endurance, determination, those are the things that should determine a game, not a referee who apparently forgot his seeing eye dog.

I could write volumes about how awful the ref was and how much he skewed the game, but I don't want to relive it, not to mention its the type of stuff that only hardcore soccer fans would truly understand the horror of... UNC illegally slide tackling from behind and the UP player getting carded for it because she made contact with the UNC player as she fell, UP getting called for a handball because they picked up the ball "too soon" after it rolled out of bounds, UNC committing a flagrant handball in front of their own goal, which should have resulted in a penalty kick for UP, but the ref didn't call it, etc...

So, instead of recounting the gruesome details, I will just say this... The best team did not win today. Instead, the best team lost, but they played valiantly and beautifully, never stooping to their opponent's level, and they lost with grace and maturity. And when your team fights bravely, plays beautifully, and never gives up, even in the face of impossible odds, that says more about them than a simple mark in the win column ever could.   Go Pilots.

listening: coldplay . reading: lolita

walk: 50 minutes . weight lost: 6 pounds

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