I WAS on my way out of the Cebu City Sports Center early Saturday when I passed by a U7 game of the Thirsty Cup. It was played at the “D” section of the rubber oval but that wasn’t what got my attention.

I noticed there were three girls in the team and that’s what got my attention. Sure, the Under 7 is a mixed division, but you’d usually get a girl or two in the lineup, but three? That’s pretty rare. So I went near to take a closer look. That’s when I was floored.

The CPMS team didn’t feature three girls in their 7-Under team, they were all girls! And I think, in 15 years of the Thirsty Cup, that’s a first. I know that’s the first time that I saw an all-girls team in the mixed division ever since the football festivals hit town.

What’s even more surprising is that CPMS is new to the football scene and I hope the Thirsty Cup won’t be their last. Sure, against Don Bosco, CPMS was outgunned, but definitely not for lack of trying. The score was already “too healthy” Don Bosco’s way but they were still at it. One girl even fearlessly dove for the ball, snatching it from the feet of a DBTC player.

Nice and brave save. But problem is. The U7 uses a five-a-side format with no goalkeepers. The referee was game though, he just reminded the CPMS of that rule and took the ball.

PAINFUL EXIT. I also had quite an experience watching my son’s team get knocked out in the quarterfinals by rival Giuseppe. It was the cruelest way possible. I thought they were ahead by a goal when they scored in the second half but instead of a re-start, the referee called for a goal kick. I was surprised but since I was in the stands, I didn’t know why the ref did that.

Then during the shootout, I hurriedly ran to the field and made it just in time for the second kicker of Giuseppe. The DBTC keeper managed to parry the shot, but the ball dropped and from the viewpoint of the team, who were near the half-way line, it was a save. From my viewpoint, the ball seemed to have dropped on the line. But the ref and the match assessor were all nearer and for them, the ball crossed the line.

DBTC lost and for the players, it was an unfair loss brought by the referee. But, that’s life. You win some and you lose some.

I could have asked the ref regarding the disallowed goal in the second half, but for what? Knowing the reason behind it won’t change the outcome, right? So, I just did my best in consoling the players and telling my son to shake hands with the Giuseppe players.

That little drama reminded me of some of the parental issues in the previous football festivals, they are almost always raised by players who see something different way, way up in the stands.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of perspective and a perceived intentional wrong call by the referee is simply the right one, you just saw it differently. The conspiracy is just in our head.