The third Merion goal deflated Malvern. With under six minutes to go, the chances they could score twice weren’t great, and their players knew it. The aggressive runs up the field that had helped them chop the lead in half all but disappeared. When Merion got the ball, the players were content to pass it back and forth, even if they weren’t attacking the goal.
Neither team came close to scoring in the closing five minutes, and the final was 3–1. Finally, Andi thought, we actually won a game.
The celebration was pretty raucous. Even the coaches took part, high-fiving each player with Coach C saying repeatedly, “That’s the kind of soccer we want to play.”
Ron Arlow and his buddy Mark Adkins gave Andi fist bumps, and Adkins said, “Nice playing, Carillo.”
Arlow settled for the fist bump without comment. That was fine with Andi. He had already come a long way in his approach to her.
Their record was now 1–3–1 overall, but more important, they were 1–1–1 in conference play. That meant if they could continue to play this way they might still have a chance to win the conference championship. Malvern had been undefeated coming into the game. There had been only one other unbeaten untied team—that was King of Prussia–North—and Andi knew that Merion wouldn’t play them until the last game of the season.
They went through the handshake line, the Malvern players still appearing to be a little bit shocked by the outcome.
Andi felt very good about things as they all walked off the field. She was surprised when Arlow jogged up and walked beside her.
“You got a minute?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said, sensing a big moment.
They walked in the direction of the girls’ locker room to put some space between them and the rest of the players. Andi noticed Jeff pausing to see what was up but waved at him to keep going.
He waved back and turned toward the boys’ locker room, glancing over his shoulder. Arlow waited until he reached the steps and started down them.
“Look, I want to be clear on where you and I stand because we’re the two best players on this team,” he said.
Not exactly modest, Andi thought, but okay.
“I’m going to do everything I can to help us win, and if that means passing the ball to you when you’re open or crediting you when you make a good pass, I’m okay with that.”
Andi felt a but line coming. She was right.
“But I don’t want you to think that means I feel any different about a girl being on a guys’ team than I did during tryouts. And don’t think Coach feels different, either. He’s just accepted that, like it or not, we’re better with you on the field. I’ve accepted that, too. But my boys Mark and Ethan got benched today because Coach started you and Michaels.”
“Jeff deserved to start,” Andi said, feeling herself get angry.
Arlow waved a hand. “Maybe,” he said. “And I know you deserved to start. I’m telling you I get that. But I’m still loyal to Mark and Ethan, and I don’t feel good that they aren’t starting. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to do everything I can do to win no matter who’s on the field. But let’s not confuse being teammates with me being a cheerleader in the Andi Carillo Fan Club or asking you to the Halloween dance, which about half the guys on the team including your boyfriend Jeff probably want to do. You got that?”
Halloween dance? Where had that come from?
Andi gave him her best smile. “Ron, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
If Arlow picked up on her sarcasm, Andi didn’t stick around to find out. She turned and walked away.
“Why do you think he let you take the penalty shot today?” Jeff was saying on the phone that night. Andi had called him because she figured he should know what Arlow had said.
Andi had thought about that while showering. “We were up by a goal and I think he thought I’d make it. But if I’d missed, then it would have made me look bad. If he takes it and misses…”
“Right,” Jeff said. “You make it, we’re up two–nil, and he looks like the good guy for giving you the kick. You miss and he’s still the good guy, but you have to deal with the embarrassment of missing.”
There was a long pause. Andi wanted to say something about the dance—which was the week after the season ended. She hadn’t really given it much thought until Arlow had brought it up after the game.
What if Ron was right? The last thing she wanted was some stupid dance becoming a thing between her and Jeff.
She would worry about that later. There was still plenty of soccer season left.