Chapter 4
“Okay, girls, good work out there, but I need my defense to work together,” Coach Grant told them during halftime. “Offense, make sure you stay on the Tigers. Don’t give them any breathing room to pass.”
Gina nodded. Got it, she thought. No breathing room. I’ll be right there every time.
The Raiders had the ball at the start of the second half. Becca took the kickoff and passed the ball to Gina.
As soon as the ball touched her feet, Gina took control and dribbled down the field. She faked a pass and darted around a midfielder.
The Tigers’ defenders were closing in on her. From the corner of her eye, Gina caught a glimpse of Lara, who was wide open. Still, Gina held onto the ball.
From the sidelines, Coach Grant yelled, “Pass! Pass!”
But Gina was determined to show the coach that she could do it herself. Now or never, she thought.
Gina took aim and kicked the ball, sending it up into the air. It curved toward the goal, out of the goalie’s reach, and sailed into the back of the net. Score! The Raiders and Tigers were tied.
Gina saw the rest of the Raiders grinning too. She knew she’d done the right thing by not passing the ball. Everyone wanted to win as much as she did.
The Tigers took the next kickoff, and Gina watched as the player dribbled the ball down the field. She kept the ball securely between her feet, and Gina could tell stealing it away wouldn’t be easy.
Out of the corner of her eye, Gina saw Becca moving toward the opposing player too, but she blocked her way.
What if Becca misses? Gina thought. I better just do it.
Gina stole the ball and made a break for the goal. The Tigers’ defenders surrounded her, and she heard Lara yell, “I’m open! Pass!”
Gina ignored her teammate and kept running. She kicked hard — goal! Gina grinned happily. The Raiders were winning, and there were only two minutes left in the game.
If I can just stay on the ball, we’ll definitely win, thought Gina.
“Let me in there too, okay?” Becca whispered as the play began.
Gina nodded, but as soon as the ball was back in play, she took off. She wanted to keep the ball away from their goal. Rachel was a good goalie, but the Tigers seemed to know all her tricks.
One of the Tigers’ forwards passed the ball to her teammate, who dribbled toward the net. The Raiders’ defenders looked ready, but Gina didn’t want to chance it.
Just as Lara got close to the Tigers’ player with the ball, Gina ran in and booted it away. Lara stumbled, and the whistle blew to end the game.
“We won!” Gina shouted. “We won!”
The rest of her teammates gave each other high fives, but they didn’t seem as excited as Gina had expected.
“Why’s everyone so down?” she asked.
Lara glared at Gina. “Maybe we’d feel a little better if you let someone else have a turn.” She turned and walked off the field, bumping Gina’s shoulder as she passed.
Gina looked at Becca. “What’s up with her?” she asked.
Becca sighed. “You’re not the only player on the team, you know,” she said, shaking her head.
Gina couldn’t understand why the Raiders were acting this way. She knew Coach Grant would understand.
Gina jogged over to her coach. “Good game, huh?” she said.
But the look on Coach Grant’s face said she didn’t agree. “I’m glad you’re enthusiastic, Gina,” she replied. “You’re certainly talented. But you need to remember that soccer is a team sport.”
Gina frowned. Didn’t the team want to win as much as she did? Didn’t her coach want that too?
Why don’t they want my help? she wondered.