Talk about a rush … of blood to the head.

St. Louis Scott Gallagher midfielder Nicole Breece put on a minor show during her team’s U16 match against the Colorado Rush on Sunday at the Las Vegas College Showcase.

Breece came to the sidelines for a throw-in during the first half, backpedaled a few paces and flung forward for a surprisingly accurate flip-throw – always somewhat shocking the first time you see it in a given match.

{flv}flip_throw{/flv}

Apparently her teammates were just as taken by the performance as her audience was, because she became the team’s designated thrower so long as she was on the field.

And why not?

It’s a move that’s rarely seen in club soccer, and despite the debate over whether the advantage of the maneuver outweighs the risk, it's fun to watch.

The image of Breece completing a front handspring before launching the ball was one that never got old.

Not So Close Encounters

Examples of sportsmanship were prevalent throughout the showcase, but etiquette only goes so far.

When two teams were forced to share the same bench during a Sunday match, apparently the awkwardness took its toll.

Not more than ten minutes into the match, one of the teams – who shall go unnamed - elected to stand beside the bench rather than share the seat with its opponent.


Seen But Not Heard
There was something conspicuously missing from most of the matches in Vegas.

The officials.

Maybe it was due to the clean play or lack of physical nature, but there seemed to be a dearth of whistles throughout the proceedings. That’s not a complaint by any means as the games seemed more fluid than usual.

As a general rule, if an official becomes noticeable it probably isn’t for good reason.

And that was clearly the case in the only two instances where they truly stood out. Ironically, both times came when coaches complained about the referee ruling halftime prematurely.