CC7

CC7 - Part 5

The crowd was roaring when Camila was standing at the sidelines with the fourth referee, about to be subbed in for the very first time. Most people in the stadium didn’t know her but every substitution brought new hope to the fans; especially if it was a completely new player they hadn’t seen before.

We only had twenty minutes left to play and the game was tied 1-1. The Portland Thorns were giving us a very hard time on our home game and their defense was hard to get around. We had created multiple chances to score but our attacker couldn’t get the ball in the net for some reason. That caused frustration. Moral was low in the second half of the game.

That changed instantly as Camila touched the ball for the first time and showed her off her dribbling skills shamelessly. The crowd was gasping and applauding in surprise when the young player scissored around the first defender and was only stopped by the opponent tugging her jersey, which gave us a free kick. Her first seconds on the pitch were already paying off and the fans cheered appreciatively.

Camila and I were not necessarily in a good place ever since we had come back from Spring Break. We went back to being cordial but nothing more. It had been a week and we hadn’t talked at all. As much as I was frustrated with the situation, and still felt guilty for what had happened in Miami, I was trying to follow Kristie’s advice by not approaching the other brunette. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t impressed with her. She was obviously very eager to make her time count and I remembered how nervous I had been before my first professional league game.

Unfortunately, the free kick didn’t amount to anything but the new left-midfielder was causing mayhem in the stadium and the other team’s defense. She was unstoppable it seemed and it didn’t take long until she broke free on the left side, sent in a cross and I knew exactly where it would go. I positioned myself perfectly, took a risk by volleying the ball but it worked out and finally hit the back of the net. The ball was shot with such force that the keeper couldn’t even react before it landed in the top left corner.

My teammates ran up to me to celebrate but I knew this goal was not just mine. Camila’s assist had been just as important if not even more. I slowly walked over to her and gave her a high-five as a ‘Thank You’ although I wished I could have hugged her just like I would anyone else. This was the first touch we had shared in a week. Banishing those thoughts, I was back in game mode and from now on it was the ‘Camila Show’. I caught myself smirking several times when she was showing off one trick after another and had everyone at her feet; literally – one defender seriously ate it in an attempt to get the ball from her.

She topped it all off by making a solo run in stoppage time and scoring a goal in her first match. I’d probably never forget that smile on her lips as they showed her on the stadium screen right after. Her exhaustion was visible after playing like a maniac but the sheer bliss and satisfaction seemed to outweigh anything else while everyone congratulated her.

The game was over and the coach told Camila, our captain Mel and I to do the interviews for the awaiting reporters at the sidelines. I made my way over to them and saw the newest addition to our team taking her place in front of the microphones. Slowly, I stood beside her to wait my turn but was actually curious to hear her talk. She looked so happy; that fucking smile was killing me and caused my heart to jump in my chest.

Reporter: What a debut! Congratulations on your first game, first assist, first goal and first win. How are you feeling right now?

Camila: Thank you so much. I am honestly still processing. It’s overwhelming to play in this kind of an atmosphere. The crowd was amazing and they really pushed us at the end. I don’t know what to say, I’m genuinely at a loss for words.