The Franklin girls slumped off the field. Ms. Suraci, the team’s coach, gathered them in a huddle for a quick pep talk and then let them take a break for oranges and water.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Luke said. “Kat had been working so hard on her shooting.”
“But she was really close,” Max said. “Let’s go over and try to cheer her up.”
Max, Nico, and Luke wound through the crowd of fans. Many of them had headed to the bake sale table or were hanging out in the shade of the nearby maple trees. The three boys found Kat and Alice resting on the grass.
“Kat, that was a nice try,” Max said. “You almost had it!”
Kat hung her head. “It’s just the same problem all over again,” she said. “I should have tied the game.”
“You will tie the game,” said a voice from behind them. It was Alex. She walked over to Kat and hunched down. She patted Kat’s back.
“You have great form!” Alex said. “All you need to do is make sure your knee is over the ball when you shoot. That way you’ll be right on target. And don’t forget that chip shot I taught you if the goalie comes out of the net. It’s harder in the middle of a game than in practice, but don’t let that stop you. You can do it!”
Kat smiled. “Okay,” she said.
“Just go out there for the second half and pretend it’s a practice with me,” Alex said. “You’ll do great.”
Alex gave Kat a high five and stood up. A few minutes later, the coach called the girls to huddle again. They talked for a while and then took the field for the second half with big whoops.
When the whistle blew, the Franklin girls got off to a good start. They moved the ball downfield toward the Warriors’ goal. Alice took a shot, but the Warriors goalie stopped it.
A few plays later, a Franklin defender fouled a Warriors attacker who was dribbling in the penalty area. The ref held out her hand and pointed to the ground. She was giving the Warriors a penalty kick!
The Warriors player who had been fouled got set and kicked the ball to the left. The Franklin goalie dove to the right but missed it.
Another goal for the Warriors! Now they were ahead 0–2!
Each team ran to its side of the field for the kickoff. The referee placed the ball on the center spot in the middle of the field. Tasha from Franklin’s team stepped up to the ball. When the referee blew her whistle, Tasha pushed the ball to Alice.
“Shift with the ball, Alice! Go, Franklin!” Alex shouted from the sidelines.
Alice and her teammates brought the ball up the field. When they got close to the Warriors’ goal, Shauna had the ball. She ran toward the goalie and a line of Warriors defenders. Right as she was about to run into them, she brought her leg back like she was going to shoot, but instead of kicking the ball, she tapped it to Tasha. Shauna had tricked the Warriors! Nobody was in front of Tasha to stop her. She dribbled it once and then smashed the ball directly into the net!
Franklin had scored! But they were still down by one.
With five minutes left in the game, the teams were tired. Unless Franklin could find some extra energy, it looked like the Warriors might win.
On their next possession, Franklin seemed to find a spark. Tasha threw the ball in, and Alice ran hard up the field.
“Out wide! Out wide!” Alex called.
Alice dribbled the ball expertly and easily went around two tall Warriors. Although she wasn’t very close to the goal, Alice saw an opening and belted the ball. It was a hard-driving shot. It lifted slightly off the ground and sailed through the air. By the time the Warriors goalie spotted it, it was too late.
The ball flew past her and into the net!
Another goal for Franklin! The game was tied! The Franklin team exploded in cheers.
But time was starting to run out. Franklin would need to score again in order to win the game or it would go into overtime.
The Warriors passed the ball back and forth, up the field. They charged toward Franklin’s goal. A tall girl with glasses wove through Franklin’s defense and took a powerful shot at the goal. But Franklin’s goalie blocked it.
“I’ll bet the regular time will end in a tie,” Max said to Nico and Luke. They nodded in agreement.
The game was coming down to its final minutes.
Tasha passed the ball to Kat. She ran it up the field straight for the goal. But one of the Warriors slid in and knocked the ball out of bounds!
TWEEEET!
The referee stopped the game.
“Woo-hoo! You can do it, Franklin!” Alex shouted from the sideline.
Kat went to the edge of the field and threw the ball in. She was aiming for Alice, but one of the Warriors players intercepted it!
“Oh no!” Luke cried. “That’s gonna be it for Franklin! I don’t think they’ll have another chance!”
The Warriors passed the ball back and forth to move downfield. One of their players was just setting up for a shot on goal when Kat emerged from behind her. Kat knocked the ball away with her right foot and zoomed up the field with it. Most of the Warriors were still down at the other end of the field when Kat came in close to their goal.
She was going to have the last play of the game. There were only seconds left. It was all up to Kat.
She raced for the goal. Suddenly, the Warriors goalie came sprinting toward her. Kat had to make up her mind fast or else the goalie would get the ball! Just as the goalie dove at her feet, Kat kicked at the bottom of the ball, with her foot pointed toward the ground.
Max, Nico, Luke, and the rest of the crowd went nuts screaming and yelling.
Kat’s ball arced high in the air, over the goalie and toward the top of the crossbar.
The kids held their breath.
Kat clenched her hands.
The ball sailed past the top bar of the goalpost.
But this time it was underneath!
The ball bounced into the back of the Warriors’ net.
Kat had scored!
The ref’s whistle blew. The game was over.
Franklin had won!
The crowd erupted in cheers. Nico, Max, and Luke jumped up and down and screamed.
“She did it!” Luke yelled. “My sister won the game! Go, Kat!”
As fans flooded the field, Kat ran over to Alex and gave her a big hug. “Thank you so much for teaching me how to chip the ball,” Kat said. “It worked great!”
Alex smiled. “I only showed you the shot,” she said. “You’re the one who did it. Keep working on your skills like that and maybe you’ll be able to play on the Breakers when you get older!”