Nobody tells us about life’s ironies beforehand. We need to experience them first-hand. All of them… even the disappointing ones.
Few of us can adequately describe disappointment in words. But we sure know it when we feel it. It’s a raw emotion that hurts. And feel it they did, as the 2015 Lady Patriots ended their magical play-off run with the silver trophy — fighting back tears of disappointment and frustration despite playing brilliant soccer for an entire season.
After all, they did bring a stunningly golden 24-0-1 record into Saturday afternoon’s PIAA Class AAA Championship Final against western Pennsylvania’s Upper St. Clair High School. And the Lady Patriots dominated their final game in terms of possession and shots on goal. Their only downfall was they just didn’t find the back of the net for the grand finale when it counted most.
Call it a cruel sense of irony if you will. But it was very real to the Lady Patriots, a team that had experienced tears of joy and elation just a few days earlier when the team cleared the PIAA Class AAA Semifinal hurdle for the first time in the program’s history. Yet another sense of irony perhaps.
One thing is for certain though… this team’s 2015 journey was as real as it gets. As were the team’s League and District One titles, and yes… a State trophy too — albeit silver. Many a team would be envious to experience such a season.
We trust that all the memories from this 2015 season will remain with the Lady Patriots for years to come. Gold at the state level would have undoubtedly been a more fitting end to such a memorable season. No argument there. But there’s no shame in Silver and the immense rigors that came with it.
Truth be told… the Lady Patriots were an absolute joy to photograph. Hopefully, our images will always kindle strong memories of a very special time for team members and their families and friends. It’s been a privilege to add a special dimension to the Lady Patriots season. Thanks for allowing David-Nicholas Photography & Design to share the journey with you!
Our complete online gallery of game-action images can be found at www.david-nicholas.net/cbe2015girlssoccer. And we’re always available to produce a truly memorable keepsake of the season that will impress you now as well as 20 years from now. Contact the studio at any time.
11/25/2015 Update: Images from the State Final have now been posted to our online website image galleries, and we’ve produced a 5-minute WebShow capturing the intense spirit with which the Lady Patriots showed their mettle as finalists in the State Championship. Hold your heads up high, ladies. You persevered proudly in an amazing 2015 season!