This letter, submitted by the head coach of the girls’ soccer team, Jennifer Tatum, reflects on the team’s soon-complete season.

The 2008-09 girls’ soccer season was an interesting and fun-filled one. When I first took the job as head coach, I didn?t know that there was a possibility that there wouldn?t be a team.

The first month that I was coaching, in November, I had between six and eight girls that came out to practice every day. They were committed and anxious to be a part of the girls’ soccer team at Fresno Christian, but they knew in the back of their heads that there could very well not be a team.

The Garces Tournament was around the corner, Dec. 19, and we still only had eight or nine girls. The girls really wanted to go to the tournament, and when they realized that they might not go, they started recruiting.

The girls were asking their friends and [Principal] Jon Endicott was calling girls in to ask if they wanted to play. Literally, a couple of days before the tournament, we found out that we would have 12 girls going to Garces. We were ecstatic!

The tournament was so much fun. Our first game we played, we won 1-0. The winning goal was scored by [sophomore] Cassidy Hutchins, in the last minute of the game. We had a great bonding experience at the hotel, and throughout the weekend. The next two games were losses due to unfortunate situations: playing a man down, one referee, fatigue and injuries.

After the tournament, we came home feeling like a team ? feeling like we bonded and were ready to start league. Our season was great! We had our ups and downs, including injuries, students leaving school, commitment issues, family tragedies, etc. It was rough, but we fought through our season and had a great time doing it.

We got through these tough times with prayer before and after games and prayer after practices. There are many practices that I will never forget, including the PVC pipe, the phone-watch, the grey socks, the paddy-wagons and “Wow, really?”

Toward the end of the season, we lost our starting forward [junior] Paige Powell due to a broken collarbone, but believe it or not, she was at school the next day and went to the final few games to support her team. Before our last game, I decided that getting together for lunch, as a team would be perfect to close our season.

Well, that didn?t work out as planned. On Friday the 13th (crazy I know), there were four of our players driving to Me-N-Ed’s [Pizzeria] for lunch and they were in an accident. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, but cars were totaled and spirits were broken.

The team came together and prayed for the girls that were in the accident, the other people involved in the accident and of course the coach, who was literally freaking out but had to stay calm for her players. This is a perfect example of how this team functions. We are a team, we pray as a team, we have fun as a team and we play as a team!

I have known these girls for almost four months, and now that the season is over, I realize how much they truly mean to me. I miss them. I miss practice. I miss games. I miss funny moments. I miss our prayers.

I am so proud of the girls and especially proud of the girls that had never played soccer before and came out anyway. They have all improved immensely and had a great time doing it, which means that I have done my job as a coach. It?s not always about winning, but about how you play.

My girls, for the most part, always gave me 100%. I always tell them, if they give me 100% and we lose, then there?s nothing we could have done. These girls gave me more than 100% ? they gave me their hearts and I wish them nothing but the best. Girls, the season is over … wow, really?

For more information on girls’ soccer, visit the sport shorts. For photos from throughout the season, check out Squabble for control, Protecting the goal and others in the Photo Section.