YC had a great game against Empower Sports during our 5th Annual Soccer Showdown on Saturday, October 21. While YC put up a tough fight, Empower Sports won 5-4 in a nail-biting game. YC’s MVP was Immanuel, who had an incredible assist to Finn on a set piece. It was the goal of the match! Over the years, YC has played this huge showdown at St. Ignatius and St. Mary’s School in Berea. This year, the weather forced us inside and we played at Force Sports in Rocky River. It was an excellent location and Force Sports was a gracious host!

The YC soccer team worked hard at practice for six weeks at Schwartz Road Park in Avon. (Finn’s service dog, Taco, was our trusty mascot and came to many of our practices!) The team’s three goals leading up to the showdown were to have fun, work hard, and get better. Our athletes met these goals and performed well during the match. They passed to each other, maintained their spacing, and had a blast!

Shout out to our Volunteer Committee for their help during the game! They brought energy with all kinds of fanfare, including a halftime show, decorations for our team, a bake sale, and more! The Volunteer Committee bake sale made around $250 for YC programs. Another shout-out goes out to James Maistros, the assistant coach. He won the halftime show shoot-out presented by the Volunteer Committee. Last but not least, we would like to shout out and thank the Avon Lions Club for sponsoring this exciting and fun event for the YC community!

At the end of the game, YC and Empower Sports shook hands, announced MVPs, made a jersey trade, and ended with a “YC Woof” in honor of our team Mascot, Taco!