I May Be Captain But He Calls The Shots

Chapter 9 [Edited]

Chapter 9 [Edited]

"I swear to GOD, these refs hate us!" I heard Alix say angrily as we all jogged into the locker room. It was halftime and we were down 1-0. She was right, though. The referees were calling absolutely everything they could on us. I had lightly pushed a girl to get to the ball and they gave me a yellow card. Now I had to be careful not to get another one.

"Ladies, ladies! Settle down!" Coach T calmed us down as she entered the room designated for us. "I know the referees are seemingly biased, but in some ways they're right."

Complaints lit up the locker room, but I stayed quiet.

"Quiet!" Coach T silenced the team. "We are losing our touch. We are being careless. Being careless leads to sloppy footwork. And sloppy footwork leads to losing. And this is the one game we cannot lose. So if you are thinking about pushing the girl who just pushed you back? Don't. They are making us retaliate, and that gets us called. If you are going to be physical, make sure it's first. We need to come out strong, got it?"

Murmurs of agreement sounded throughout the room.

"Anyone have anything they noticed about the other team?" Coach asked. Cati's hand immediately shot up from next to me. "Cati?"

"Ok, listen up. This team is doing the same thing over and over and over again. They are passing around in the middle and then getting a wing to sneak up the sideline where they kick it to. Alix is saving our asses right now and we need to make sure it doesn't happen. The middies need to get the ball as they are passing, and the defenders need to make sure they are not too far up and that they always know where their mark is."

I nodded in agreement, as did Coach T.

"I saw that too. Anyone else?"

Taylor raised her hand slightly.

"Number 6 is really pushy, so if she lightly touches you, I recommend just falling over to get the call."

"Same with number 21!" Callie called out.

I raised my hand. Coach called on me and I stood up and faced the girls.

"Listen. For 5 of us, this is our last high school soccer game. Some of us have the opportunity to play further, but a couple do not. We are in the freaking championship game, and this is some of the sloppiest footwork I have seen from you ladies. I believe in every single one of you and I know you all want to win as much as I do. This team is far from surpassing our skill, so how are they winning? We need to pick our asses up, and finish strong! Let's do this, ladies!" I lifted one arm and everyone stood up and did the same.

"Ridgemore on three! 1, 2, 3!"

"Ridgemore!"

Coach T led us back onto the field where we were met with the screams in the filled stands. I scanned the area where the boys were standing, to see that Chase was front and center, with Cale and Danni on one side, and Ben on the other. He was looking directly at me and cheering. I gave a determined smile and looked at the rest of my team. They were getting pumped, as was I.

"Alright, starters, start the second half! Let's get this half underway with a bang, alright?" She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I nodded my head and jogged to the middle of our half where we huddled.

"Can we please kick their asses? I want another champion's trophy in the school." Cati smirked at the rest of us.

"Let's." Alix gave one of her trademark creepy smiles and I put my hand in the middle. They followed suit.

"For the Ridge?" I asked loudly.

"For the Ridge!" We all screamed and got into positions. We started with the ball this half and when the whistle blew, it was immediately passed to me. We quickly passed it around, making sure our passes were crisp and accurate. Soon it was back on my foot and I saw Jordan wide open up top. I lofted it right in front of her and she settled, dribbled for two seconds and took a shot.