This past weekend was an emotional one for us. Of course every day is pretty emotional now, but Saturday and Sunday was on the very good end of that emotion. Mack’s elementary school dedicated a climbing “teepee” in his memory. Please read my wife’s post about the event and the words of an artist who game us a beautiful pencil drawing of Mack.
Then on Sunday the Penn State Men’s Soccer team played a gritty and tough Northwestern. It was a frigid day, low 40s without the wind, and as late as 1:50 left in the game Penn State trailed 0-1. But a late header that ricocheted off a NW defender put in the equalizer. Then, with less than 1:40 left in the second OT (it would have ended in a tie), Jordan Tyler received a pass from Connor Maloney and put it away for the winner! PSU is now the B1G regular season champs for the second year in a row!
I don’t believe that there is any divine hand in sports victories (or losses), but it is particularly poignant this year, with Mack’s name on the back of our keepers, that they have fought so hard to move from unranked to #5 in just three weeks. This is a team of great men and they have supported and meant so much to us. It is nice that we can support them. The NCAA finals are in PPL Park in Philadelphia this year. I think we may have a PSU tailgate to plan!
You can see lots of pictures here.
2 thoughts on “Tears and Cheers”
Chris: thanks for sharing these inspiring “Tears and Cheers.”
If there is one thing I have seen with this Penn State team — with Mack proudly on their backs — it is this: they don’t stop.
Certainly soccer games are not determined by divine intervention. Yet having faith surely makes a tremendous difference in life, and in football. And given the team’s wonderfully hard work and winning spirit so far, one can wonder … “do you not think an angel rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.”