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RHIAN'S SOCCER JOURNALS:

TOPPSERIEN AND NORWAY CUP 10th June 2009

Last weekend, 6th June, we flew to Bergen to play against Sandviken. We won the game 5 -1, but we were jolted into taking this game seriously. They scored the first goal.

This season, Team Strommen has had some major injuries to our defenders, and it has taken ... or is still taking, some time to adjust and gel. I am playing defence right now, and even though Sandviken are close to the bottom of the Toppserien table, they really made us work.

We have some important games coming up against the top four teams in the league, so the constant defensive work was probably good for us and important. However, this didn't do much for my mood. It was an alright game. To win 5 - 1 we obviously did some things well and there can't be too much to worry about. However, I find that goal they scored against us grates on me. The whole trip was long and tiring. The score does not reflect that we were hard-pushed defensively at times on the field. As for the travel, we flew into Bergen on the morning of the game, and sprinted to catch our flight after the game in the afternoon. I was more than happy to collapse into bed that night.

We had a second game this week. At home, Team Strommen won their Norway Cup game 3 - 1 on Tuesday 9th June, against Fortuna Ålusund. We played really well and dominated our opponents from start to finish.

The Fortuna team actually had some very surprising tactics. It seems that they planned to man-mark me for the match, and I had a shadow wherever I went. How on earth this made sense to them when I was playing at right back is utterly beyond me. I loved it though. It helped my ego to think that they considered me a threat. And, it left our midfield a man up and they destroyed the other team.

D scored two goals, one from a tight angled shot that went into the lower right side of the net, and the other, a thing of beauty after a great passing display between Lene, Una, Ida and D, who was put in alone on net, and smashed it top left.

The third goal was fantastic too. Marit, who was announced as "player of the game," scored from a curling left footed free kick: Great stuff. We were so much better than the other team that we maybe didn't stay as focused as we should have, but we enjoyed the experience. There should have been many more goals than 3. However, it was a good game to get in as we have a very hard match coming up on Sunday when we play Røa. They are one of the top teams in the league.