Chapter 1
Gina Gonzalez noticed the sign as soon as she approached River City Middle School. A banner that read “Home of the River City Raiders!” hung across the entrance.
Gina smiled. That could be my new team, she thought. I could be a Raider!
All around her, kids hurried into the building. Gina’s stomach was tied in knots. River City Middle School was at least twice the size of her old school.
All I have to do is make it through the day, Gina thought. Then I can go to soccer tryouts.
Just then, the first bell rang. Gina pretended she was on the soccer field and pushed down the hall to her homeroom.
* * *
The end of the day could not come fast enough for Gina. As soon as the bell rang, she ran to her locker, put on her cleats, and headed for the soccer field behind the school.
At first, she was the only one there. Within minutes, groups of girls in red jerseys made their way onto the field. Some practiced passing. Others bounced the soccer balls on their knees or heads. They were all laughing and smiling, and Gina relaxed a little.
One of the girls closest to Gina smiled at her. “Hey, I’m Rachel,” she said, smoothing her hair back into a ponytail. “You must be new.”
Gina nodded. “Yep,” she said. “I’m Gina.”
“It’s nice to meet you!” said Rachel. “Let me introduce you to some of the other girls.”
Rachel turned and waved to some girls across the field. “New girl!” she called.
Rachel’s friends immediately hurried over. “We love new girls,” one of the girls said happily. “I’m Becca, by the way.”
“I’m Lara,” said another. “I’m glad you’re trying out. We could use some new players to spice things up. We hardly won any games last season.”
Gina bounced on her toes and clutched her ball. “I’ll do my best,” she promised.
“That’s all I can ask of my players,” a voice behind Gina said. “For them to do their best.”
Gina turned around and saw a tall woman holding a whistle and a clipboard. The woman raised her whistle and blew it sharply. The rest of the players immediately came running in.
Gina followed the lead of the other girls as they sat in a circle in the middle of the field.
“For those who don’t know me, I’m Coach Grant,” the woman said. “During today’s tryouts, I’ll be looking for each of your strengths and to see how you’ll work with the team.”
“We’ll start with passing today,” Coach Grant continued. “Pair up, and let’s see what you can do.”
Gina turned to Rachel. “Want to be partners?” she asked hopefully.
“Sure,” Rachel said with a grin. “We’re going to rock this.”
Coach Grant tossed several soccer balls onto the field. One of the balls landed at Gina’s feet, and she stopped it with her instep. In one smooth motion, she passed it to Rachel.
“Nice work!” called Coach Grant from the sidelines, and Gina beamed.
Rachel stopped the ball and used the inside of her foot to pass it back to Gina.
“Way to work those feet, girls,” the coach called.
Gina tapped the ball with her toes. Then she passed it back to Rachel. After they’d practiced passing for several more minutes, Coach Grant blew her whistle to get their attention.
“Okay, let’s split into two groups to practice dribbling,” the coach shouted. She motioned for Gina, Rachel, and a few other girls to go first. “Take it down the field, ladies!”
Gina and the other girls each grabbed a ball and dribbled down the pitch. Gina made sure to keep the ball under control, tapping it back and forth between her feet as she ran.
“Very nice, girls! Bring it in!” Coach Grant shouted as they reached the end of the field.
While Gina, Rachel, and the other six girls rested on the sidelines, the next group ran to the field. Gina saw the coach write something in her notebook.
“You better breathe, or you’ll pass out,” said a voice beside Gina.
Gina jumped. It was only Rachel, but Gina had been concentrating so hard on the field, she hadn’t heard her come up beside her.
“I’m a little nervous,” Gina admitted.
Rachel nodded. “Me too, but you were awesome out there,” she said. “You can really control the ball.”
“Thanks,” said Gina, blushing.
Coach blew her whistle again. “Nice job, everyone. Time to do some power kicking. Line ‘em up!” she said.
All the girls ran to the field. Coach Grant got into position in front of the net to play goalie. Each time the coach blew her whistle, a new girl ran to kick the ball into the net.
When it was Gina’s turn, she took aim and kicked the ball with a powerful thwack! The ball sailed past Coach Grant’s fingers and into the net.
“Great kick!” Rachel said as Gina jogged to the back of the line.
“Okay, let’s take turns acting as goalie now,” Coach Grant called.
Gina cringed. She was a terrible goalie. When it was her turn, she stared intently at the ball, trying to figure out its path. She threw her body into each block. But she couldn’t even save half the shots.
“Don’t worry,” Rachel told her afterward. “Besides, goalie is kind of my thing. What we really need is someone to score goals.”
Gina was starting to feel better when Lara joined them.
“You were great out there,” Lara said. “Coach would be crazy not to put you on the team.”
“Thanks,” said Gina, smiling. She just hoped they were right.