Predators 2 - Starbursts 3

Predators Play One For Andre in Elk Grove

André Maréchal
October 03, 1946 - November 02, 2001

Every once in a while, something happens within a team that puts everything into perspective. On Friday night November 2nd, we lost Melissa's dad, André, who suffered a heart attack while playing indoor soccer.

Many of the Predator parents and players were there at the gym when it happened. We were playing Coed Indoor Soccer and having a great time. André played beautifully and was smiling and joking as usual. He was just a fun guy to be around. André was involved in soccer all his life as a player, a referee, and a coach. As we could all see, he was very involved in Melissa's life, and was always there during practices, games, and other team functions. André passed away playing the game he loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with Melissa and her family during this time.

It was an emotional Saturday morning for everyone involved with the Predators. Before the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to observe a moment of silence in honor of Andre. Mr. Perez led our girls in a pre-game prayer. There were some tears as the huddle broke to start the game, but it was a joy to see how well our young ladies handled this difficult situation.

The first ten minutes of the game was very fast paced as the Predators kept the ball in their offensive zone early on, firing four quick shots. Ericka fired the first shot, and the Predator forwards- Ally, Amy, Andrea and Katrina were all over the rebound, but the goalie got to the ball first. Sara fired two quick shots, and it looked like the Predators were ready to rock and roll. As the half rolled on the momentum started to shift. The Starbursts had many subs and the Predators were playing without Angel or Melissa. As the Starburst attack started to roll, the Predator defenders- Kelsey, Kristina, Yolanda, the Kylie were doing a great job and were winning many of the 50/50 ball situations. Yolanda had her best game of the year, with 7 intercepts and 2 steals. With about 12 minutes left in the first half, the Starburts scored on a ball that bounced around in front of the goal, making it 1-0. Another quick score by the Starbursts and a goal by Amy on a nice follow made the score 2-1 in favor of the Starburts at halftime.

The Predators never gave up in the second half. Erica made several nice saves as the Starbursts substitution pattern kept fresh players rotating into the front line. Midfielders- Sabi, Ericka, Sara, and Ally gave it a great effort on several nice runs. Yolanda continued to play aggressively with a non-goalie save in the second half. The constant Starburst pressure made the score 3-1 midway through the second half. Then Kelsey broke away up the left side and juked the goalie out of position, making it 2-3 with about 8 minutes left in the game. The Predators kept the pressure on, but finally ran out of gas as the whistle blew to end the game. The final score was 2-3 as the Starbursts won the hard fought battle.

With all that happened this weekend, in the end the score of this game was not so important. Far more important was the grace and maturity that our young ladies showed playing the game for André. That is what André would have wanted !!! Thanks André for being a part of this great season !!!