This weekend I covered the Division II Men's and Women's Soccer Championships for NCAA Photos. The Women played Saturday afternoon and the men on Sunday.
The women's game featured West Florida vs. Seattle Pacific and kickoff was slated for 3:30. The weather when I left the house seemed to be a little windy but overall I felt I would have good shooting conditions during the game. Boy was I wrong.
Some mysterious front moved in off the Gulf and took away my beautiful late afternoon light and left me with a dimly lit Pepin/Rood stadium on the campus of the University of Tampa. And by the end of regulation it started to drizzle. The two teams battled through the first overtime still tied 0-0. (I know. What a complete bore of a game. I asked the TV guy if these ladies were here to win a title or have frickin' tea. Let's play!!)
During the second overtime it was pouring. I brought no rain gear but the cameras are pretty weather sealed for moisture. I felt like this was the variable to end the game and avoid penalty kicks. Finally Seattle Pacific scored with 2:19 left in 2OT and the team went crazy. I got my trophy shot and ran back inside the press box to dry off.
The men's final was less anxious. The Toros from CSU- Dominhuez Hills beat Dowling 3-0. I was thankful that the Toros scored a goal and gave me a great jubilation shot at 1-0 in the first half.
They followed that up with two more goals in the second half which deflated Dowling. I was so happy to avoid OT for the men. I just wanted to move my 12 images and get home.
I like shooting a couple of soccer games a year but couldn't see doing more than those. It's a tough sport to shoot because you need a lot of lens to follow the action around the field. But this weekend gave me the fix for another year.
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