Grant @ Bella Vista Soccer

My high school soccer practices consisted mostly of jogging and running and I hated it. Now and then we'd get to take a couple of shots. In 2012 when I show up to high school soccer games, I take a seat somewhere on the goal line in this super comfy chair and take a couple hundred shots. Two reasons I'm out shooting soccer: 1) the golden, early evening, directional sunlight 2) Gotta keep my action game sharp...I haven't done it in a while. 

Shout out to Grant (blue and yellow), who like my team, consisted of an overwhelming majority of Spanish speakers. The technical soccer terms of "cruz a la", "medio", and "cabrón" sounded all too familiar.

O'Connell vs. Gonzaga Soccer @ RFK Stadium

Ok, near RFK Stadium. Gonzaga College High School plays their soccer home games at the auxiliary fields of RFK, probably where some derivative versions of DC United hold practice. The actual game was second place to the great in your face setting sun that was just hitting the field at the right angle. O'Connell took a 5-0 loss to Gonzaga on this beautiful day. Shout out to headers but not to possible concussions.

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Kansas City Wizards @ DC United. Can I get a win?

Yes I can. The first game I shot this season for DC United was their first victory. I am absolutely good luck. Danny Allsopp scored two goals and almost made it a hat trick while United goalie Bill Hamid allowed none. Read about it here. I wish I had a witty anecdote to share about my interactions and observations or the complexities of shooting Major League Soccer, but I don't. Although every Mexican restaurant that I passed on the way home (that night on May 5th) was PACKED!

DeMatha @ Archbishop Carroll Soccer

It was pretty cloudy and I thought it was definitely going to rain. Good thing it didn't. But a 5:15p start didn't help my cause toward the end of the game as the light began to fade...quickly. DeMatha jumped out to a fast 3-0 lead in a game that I thought would be pretty competitive. What is it about those Carroll Lions? Shout out to that lady doing Christianity conversions in 30 minutes or less in the parking lot.

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The Other Football

Late August means back to school and back to fall sports. While every other sports fan is impatiently waiting for NFL, NCAA and even high school football action, I'm out shooting futbol action. St. John's hosted O'Connell and lost 2-1 during my first soccer game of the season. Shout out to basketball players that play soccer.


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Rare Read

Only because I don't usually shoot girls high school sports. But this championship occurred on the same day and field as the boys championship, so why not. I don't know much about the two teams (St. John's and O'Connell) but the fans were crazy. St. John's, ranked #1 throughout the season, took home the title with a 2-1 victory. For a more thorough explanation go here.

Gonzaga = Champs

I've kind of been following this team a lot this season. Partly because of talent but mostly because of proximity. For example, Good Counsel's football team is ranked #1 in the area (DC, Maryland, Virginia) by the Washington Post, but you won't catch me out in Olney, MD. Okay, you might. Anyway, Gonzaga plays great soccer and this past weekend I photographed their championship game. I was hoping for a Gonzaga vs. DeMatha three-match, but got O'Connell instead. Shout out to all of the parents that ordered pictures from me throughout the season.

Cold Play

Because I have nothing else better to do than to sit out in the cold, I decided to do so at a soccer game. And the winner is....DeMatha over Archbishop Carroll in a shootout. Hopefully these soccer playoffs end with a DeMatha/Gonzaga game that doesn't involve a tie.

More Gonzaga Soccer

Hey, as long as they keep winning...I'll keep shooting. Their latest victim was the Bishop McNamara Mustangs in the quarterfinals of the playoffs 4-1. As long as I show up, they don't lose. Well maybe because they haven't lost all season...stay tuned. Cold and windy = not fun outdoor shooting conditions, but this Texan braved it like a chump...champ.


Whole lot of jersey and arm grabbing going on.

DeMatha vs. Gonzaga II

This Friday I opted for daytime soccer rather than night time football whose shooting conditions are inferior. A few weeks ago I shot Gonzaga and DeMatha soccer, which netted a 2-2 tie. This match also netted a tie, 3-3. The top two soccer teams in the area have played each other twice and both times a winner has yet to emerge. I'm sure they'll see each other in the playoffs.

Shout out to Penn Camera, where I rented a 300mm lens for the weekend.


This one is hands down one of the best that I've taken in a long time.

Need a Light?

Once again, those October late afternoon/early evening sporting events do wonders for my photography. The light is low in the sky, nice and golden and not too contrasty.

I first drove to the Gonzaga College High School campus in downtown DC looking for a soccer game. What I found was a gang of football players practicing in purple (obviously). I then find out (from DCSportsFan) that Gonzaga plays their "home" games at an auxiliary field of RFK Stadium. I arrived at 4:20pm (insert weed joke here) only to find out that it was halftime and that the game had started at 3:30pm. Luckily, the better team was coming right into the light. Shout out to my BlackBerry for getting me directions to the game on the fly.

What's with the black?

By judging the content of some of my sports posts, you might think I'm partial to this school they call Gonzaga College High School. Truth be told, they play pretty close to my apartment. The games I decide to shoot are determined by proximity and not by importance of match up, as one may think. Last week this game between two of the best high school soccer teams in the region (DeMatha and Gonzaga) was played at Trinity University here in Washington DC. The usually purple Gonzaga Eagles decided to go black a la the Georgia Bulldogs (you see where it got them). But instead of incurring the same fate as the Bulldogs, the Gonzaga Eagles did one better by finishing with a 2-2 tie.

Luckily for them (because I captured the game in such magnificence) the location was right in my wheelhouse. In case you're a big high school soccer fan, details of the actual contest were provided by the good folks at DCSportsFan.com.