Take One For The Team

Chapter 10

The referee blew his whistle and Westfield kicked off. I focussed on Pearson, staying close to him and waiting for an opportunity. I found one quickly and won the ball from him, charging up the pitch. Zack was to my left, making a run with me. 

I dribbled around one midfielder, but saw two other players heading straight for me. I looked up and saw Zack had space, so I passed through to him. Then I weaved through the Westfield defence to find an open spot on the edge of the box. 

Zack was now doubled marked, but I was wide open, so I shouted for the ball. He looked up and saw me, but instead of crossing the ball to me, he took a shot, which went wide. 

The crowd 'oohed' and I shook my head. Clearly Zack still didn't want to play nice. 

I tracked back as they took their goal kick, and tried not to get frustrated. Westfield won possession from the kick and made their way towards our half. 

They kept possession for a while, passing between each other. Our defence held back until they made a play, then we managed to win the ball back once more. Jake dribbled back towards me and Zack, tapping a through ball into me. I weaved round a defender and passed through to Zack on my left, continuing my run as I did so. 

He was being chased by a defender and was running out of pitch, but he didn't have a clear shot and once again, I was unmarked in the box. I called for the ball, but just like last time, Zack tried a last minute shot instead, which soared high over the crossbar. 

The crowd groaned and I threw my arms up in exasperation. 

As we set up for another goal kick, I jogged past Zack. 

"Sort your shit out, man." I remarked in frustration, but he ignored me. 

Westfield gained possession from the kick again, but this time they outplayed our defence and Pearson quickly scored. Now we were drawing 3-3. 

The blue and gold fans went crazy, their cheers deafening. 

I headed back to my starting position on the halfway line, facing up to Zack first. 

"Quit playing selfishly or we're gonna lose." I said. 

"Whatever," He replied dismissively, batting me away. 

"Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?" Pearson called over to us. 

"Butt out, Pearson." Zack spat back.

"Ooh, touchy." Pearson smirked. 

I just shook my head and ignored the two of them, focusing on the ball instead. When the whistle blew I passed to Jake, who started to move up the wing. Play continued with both teams fighting fiercely for the ball. 

Neither team wanted to draw, so the intensity had increased. I, however, still hadn't been tackled strongly, I think the other team were being cautious of hurting a girl. This was a mistake on their part, as it allowed me too much space, meaning I could move with the ball a lot. 

It didn't take me long to find myself in the perfect position to score. Jake had the ball and looked up, hesitating as his eyes darted between me and Zack, who was also just outside the box. Zack had two players on him, but I had none. I saw Jake do the math in his head, make the decision, and then cross the ball to me. 

I chested it down to my feet and turned on the spot, looked up and took the shot. The ball soared into the top right corner of the net; the goalie had no chance. 

Now we led 4-3. 

The EHS supporters went wild, and I looked over to see Dad out of his seat, waving his foam finger in the air.