- April 15th, 2006, 12:53 pm
#11782
It looks as though we have a Houstonian joining the Lady Flames this fall:
Big game, bit stadium, big dayhttp://news.galvestondailynews.com/stor ... 75005d174a
By Joey Richards
The Daily News
Published April 15, 2006
ROUND ROCK — Bill Rich has followed his daughter, Michelle, to soccer fields around the state since she was 5 years old.
Friday morning, he had a front-row seat to watch his daughter, now a senior, play goalie for the Friendswood High School team on the biggest stage yet — the University Interscholastic League state soccer tournament.
The Rich family waited four long years to get there.
“We hoped she’d get here,” Bill said. “She’s been working hard.”
And the family has been working hard to keep up with Michelle.
“Over the years, we’ve been to many different soccer fields and many tournaments,” Rich said.
The same is true for Selena Ellis, who’s daughter Erin is a sophomore on the Friendswood team. Selena’s been following her daughter from field to field since Erin was 8.
Selena, busy snapping pictures, was in awe of the moment.
“It is very, very cool,” she said.
And this is a mom who’s watched her daughter win some hardware. Erin has won three state titles playing club soccer for the Friendswood Shooting Stars.
“There’s a core group of this team that’s played together since they were very young, and they’ve won state championships,” Selena said. “But this is a totally different level.”
And speaking of different levels, Rich was in awe of the massive Round Rock ISD Stadium. It’s bigger than some college stadiums.
The big stadium and the big game, the Class 4A state semifinals, made it all the more exciting — and nerve-wracking.
“I always stress out,” Rich said.
The day didn’t end well for Friendswood. McKinney North beat the Lady Mustangs, 4-0.
Still, it was a great feat for the young team just to get this far. Most players, including Michelle, expected to end the season in the region semifinals for the fifth consecutive year.
“The last few years were disappointing, not for herself, but for the seniors who were graduating,” Rich said. “Now that it happened for her — and I’m not sure she realized it would happen, because of what’s happened the last few years — she’s pretty excited.”
The team loses only six seniors to graduation. Michelle will play for Liberty University in Virginia in the fall — a bit longer drive than the 200 miles to Round Rock.
- By Dalegarz1
- By Purple Haize