By winning this match, we clinch the silver medal in the Topserrien league because Kolbotn tied with Amazon Grimstad 2 -2. To celebrate this, a committee from the Board of Team Strommen Soccer Club  welcomed the team home with presentations of roses.

However, my preparation for this game was not ideal, as the flight to Trondheim was one of the worst I have ever experienced. I am not a great flier to begin with, but I think even the heartiest of travelers were having a rough go of it on this journey.

We took off from Oslo in what were described as "20 meters per second" winds. I have never heard wind described like this before, but this is what I was told. And then, we landed in "30 meters per second" winds in Trondheim!!

All I know is that I was not a happy camper. I would like to publicly thank Lene Storlokken, who held my hand and made lovely little cooing sounds for ... well basically the entire flight. She is going to be a fantastic mum one day, judging by how comforted I felt at a time when I was pretty certain I was going to die.

I would also like to say sorry to Ida, who unfortunately for her, was sitting on my left side. Apparently, I tend to lash out with my right fist. At one point, I managed a great grip on her pants leg, and you had better believe that I was not letting go until we were safely on the ground. 

The game was something of an anticlimax after this flight. We played well, I thought. The team played with plenty of heart and passion, and we showed a great work ethic. When these two strengths combine for Team Strommen, I would challenge any team to try to beat us.

Obviously, there are still some things we need to work on before we head into our last game against Arna-Bjornar (fifth place in the table), and then the Norwegian Cup Final, but for the most part, I am thrilled to be a part of this great group. When we are playing well, it is a huge pleasure to be out playing soccer with the team. Soccer can be a great deal of fun when you are winning, and Di scored the third goal at 44 minutes, and I scored the 4th goal of the game at 60 minutes.

Our Team Strommen coach Hege Riise is pleased with the team's progress." After the team struggled to a 1-0 win against the bottom team in the league, Fart, on 29^th June, there weren't many people giving Team Strømmen much of a chance for silver this season." However, there won't be much partying to celebrate the silver League medal. Hege Riise says that "the team does not have time for any more celebrations than a dinner and the rose ceremony, because we have a Cup Final to prepare for. We would really like to win that gold medal. If we want to win, we must be prepared properly."

The silver League medal means that it is likely that Team Strommen will be one of two Norwegian teams competing in the Women's European Cup next season. Coach Riise says that the Club's plan was to compete in Europe  by 2010/2011, so this early opportunity is a bonus. "It's going to be fun and it's going to raise our level of play."

The flight home to Oslo was much better than on the way to Trondheim. We had our victory and second place, and we were given roses on landing. And, during the return trip, I was able to read my gossip magazine the entire way without needing to grab anybody. The British Hello Magazine has some great trash and stories.

 Team Strommen vs Trondshein-Orn.

 Keeper  1. Bruserud, Ingrid

 Defence   21 Lund, Marita Skammelsrud

                11 Kaufmann, Maritha

                16 Hansen, Hilde 

                  9 Storløkken, Hege Glesåsen

 Midfield     7  Abdullah, Nasra Badalla

                 18 Knudsen, Mari Karoline

                   8 Storløkken, Lene Gles

 Forwards  25 Wilkinson, Rhian

                     6 Matheson, Diana Beverly

                     4 Masar, Ella Copple

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