We're Just Teammates || Leah Williamson

3. England vs France

A few weeks after the amazing time we had at the shopping center, England was buzzing with excitement as the new season kicked off. The lionesses were gearing up for their match against France at Wembley the next day. To prepare, we spent the entire day training at St. George's Park, practicing and perfecting our skills and building our strength.

To kick off our session, all of us gathered on the grounds and huddled together, jogging on the spot to keep ourselves warm. Sarina approached us and instructed us to do some light warm-ups and stretches before we got started for the day.

I started jogging lightly around the park grounds and caught up with Georgia and Leah. I asked them, "How are we feeling about tomorrow night?"

Leah replied sternly, focusing on her light exercise, "Nervous. It's the first match of the season, and I want to make sure we secure a win."

Georgia, keeping up with the pace, chimed in, "I'm actually quite excited. Of course, I want us to win, but going against France for our first match is no joke. They're good, but we're even better," she smirked confidently.

After about five minutes of jogging, we all transitioned into doing some slight stretches to reduce the risk of muscle tears or injuries right before the match.

Sarina divided us into two groups for a practice game. Each group had a goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards. I was thrilled to be on the same team as Mary, who was an incredible goalkeeper. Our defenders were Leah, Lucy, Millie, and Alex, while Georgia, Ella, and Keira held down the midfield. As for our striking force, it consisted of Lessi, Beth, and myself.

We started off with a relatively easy exercise. Mary guarded the goal, and the ball was placed in the center of the pitch. Each group was assigned one half of the field. One of the strikers would begin in the center and pass the ball to a teammate. Their objective was to try and score a goal, while Lucy, Leah, Millie, Alex, and one of the midfielders, Keira, did their best to defend against our attacks. The other two midfielders, Ella and Georgia, were eager to join in and score goals as well.

About fifteen minutes into the game, Beth initiated the play by passing the ball to Alessia, who had positioned herself closer to the goal. However, Lucy and Leah swiftly blocked her path, leaving no opening for her to shoot. Thinking quickly, she passed the ball backward to Georgia, who started sprinting forward. Georgia then made a precise pass to Ella. Recognizing an opportunity, I sprinted into an open space and signaled to Ella to pass the ball to me. As soon as the ball touched my feet, I swiftly turned towards the goal and delivered a powerful kick, sending the ball flying into the corner and scoring a fantastic goal for our team.

After that fun team game, Sarina grouped us two teams together to play against each other. The opposing team wore bibs to make it easier to tell who was on which team.

When the whistle blew, we went through the same drill as before. Lessi, Beth, and I charged towards the goalpost, while Ella, Georgia, and Keira followed closely behind. We skillfully dribbled the ball between us, making sure to keep it away from the defenders, Jess, Niamh, Esme, and Lotte. Lessi passed the ball to me when I found an opening, and I swiftly dribbled past Lotte, making a quick pass to Beth, who had a clear shot. Goal!

We kept up the intensity for another 20 minutes or so until Sarina blew the whistle. She instructed us to grab a drink and then do some stretches to cool down after a long and hardworking training session.

**
The Next Day

My alarm goes off at 6am waking me and my teammates up.
"Alicia turn it off," Leah groaned from the room next to me, clearly annoyed at the early morning waking.
I roll my eyes as I get out of bed, making my way to the kitchen.