LSK WOMEN SHOOT TO TOP OF TOPPSERIEN LEAGUE 6th April 2010

Rookie Players Prank May Backfire After 5-0 Victory

Happy Birthday D., and we are looking forward to your imminent return to Norway!! I admit that I have not written many journals recently, but the fact is that not much has been happening. Norway is still gripped in winter snows, which is depressing when I hear Eastern Canada is having a beautiful Spring. I love Spring.

Here in Oslo, I pass my time by studying long and hard for my distance learning statistics courses. I train at the gym. I do some hiking; and. I train with the team. The Toppserien season started yesterday, but the preparation for this opening soccer event has been going on since January.

We started the Toppserien season yesterday with a 5-0 win against the Kattem team in Trondheim. The result shot us to the top of the Toppserien League. This was a great start to the season and there were some fantastic performances out on the pitch. It is always exciting to actually get soccer started after spending months in preparation.

We were definitely raring to get out of the starting blocks, and we applied pressure from the start. That being said, Katten has some tough defenders, and we went into the break only 1-0 up after having flurries of shots on target. We deserved to be further ahead.

Dorthe Dalum scored our first period goal, and I think it bodes very well that the first goal of the season was scored by our right defender. It bodes even better when you look at the other four goal scorers on the team: Katrina, Mari, Nasra, and finally a forward, Ida Elise.

Obviously, the fact I did not score a goal while playing as a forward in a 5-0 game is going to have to be glossed over. I choose instead to focus on the fact we had three midfields and a defender on the scoring sheet. As Manchester United is now finding our, and yes I did just compare LSK Kvinner to Manchester United, having only one goal scorer is not always a good thing. Having a bevy of goal scorers on the other hand, is excellent.

The first league match is always tense. We knew coming into the match that we would still be suffering from a rash of injuries to some of our top players. We were not at our best early in this match, a little awkward and still gelling together. We became better and better as the match progressed. We created quite a few chances, especially on the right side where we formed a good attacking system with Ida Elise. 

We flew home after the game tired, sore and happy. However, the smiles changed slightly when it came to light that some of our younger players had attempted a prank and they had failed miserably. They had decided, and yes I will keep it at "they", to pick on Mari who is probably the only senior member of the team who can take a joke.

Anyway, in Trondheim they thought it might be hilarious to steal Mari's car keys out of her bag while we were on the team bus. I think everyone can now see where this is going. The flaw in the plan was that (a) she was never going to notice until she actually got back to her car in Lillestrom, (b) two of the three pranksters were not taking the bus back to Lillestrom, and (c) the last of the three pranksters was in fact still at the airport waiting for her flight home to Bergen!!! Can you guess which one of the three had the car keys?

Mari realized that the keys were missing just after we left the airport on opur return. However, our mean-spirited bus driver flat out refused to turn around. So, because Mari and I had no way to get home from Lillestrom we asked the bus driver if he would drive us home, about 200 meters out of his way. He would not do this either. To make a very long story a little shorter, Mari and I had to jump out on the main road and walk home up a massive hill. My legs were exhausted!. Then we had to drop our bags off at the house, climb into Linn's car, drive back to the airport, pick up the keys, drive back to Lillestrom, pick up Mari's car anmd finally drive home to collapse into bed. Good joke guys.

I don't want to make the youngsters nervous or anything, but payback is going to be brutal- B-R-U-T-A-L!!!!!!

LSK Women (4-3-3):

Ingrid Bruserud - Dorte Dalum Jensen, Anne Stone Tvedt, Ingrid Moe Wold, Hedda Vedeler (Ida Erlandsen from 85 min) - Nasr Abdullah, Mary Knudsen (Brita Hansen from 78 min), Cathrine Cover Rhus Connie Johansson from 88 min) - Rhian Wilkinson, Marit Sandvei, Ida Elise Enget