SUNSHINE

twelve

The whistle blew and the match began, their first district tournament game was underway. They were playing a team that was in a division below them, but they were at the top, and the division below them was just as competitive. The Dragons had possession to start the half, but the midfield committed an early turnover that lost them their advantage. Casey watched as the opposing midfield went backward then trying to work out the sides from the back, but Hailey and Terra kept their pressure high to keep forcing them backward.

The opposition played a long ball to the left side of the field where a midfielder was making a run. Jenna was on her instantly but the other player made a quick ball towards their central forward and split the Dragon's left and center back, slotting a perfect through ball in. Casey had to come off her line and made herself big, bending her knees slightly and keeping her arms away from her body, watching the quick motions and taking the shot off her chest. It knocked the wind out of her but she got back to her feet, for the ball did not get far before the opposition had it again, the midfielder taking a shot from twenty-five yards out. Casey was quick to get from her position near the ground to saving a curling shot to the upper ninety, just barely getting her fingertips on it and putting it over the crossbar for a corner kick. She was breathing a little heavy after that one, Riley coming over and patting her on the back for the save.

It was going to be a long game.

They played a long ball toward the penalty spot for the corner, and Casey had a clear line to make it hers. She went up off her line and extended her arms completely, getting some air. She felt an offender come in for the challenge, coming up half under her, half on the side of her, and she collapsed hard on the ground, but made sure to keep the ball hers and flipped over it to shield it. A whistle was called and she took a breath, getting to her feet and walking it off, keeping the ball at her hip as her defense came over to make sure she was alright. When she saw the medical trainers come out to tend to the other player on the ground, she took to a squatting position. She had the wind knocked out of her after a few big saves, but she was glad she made them, for someone very important was watching, and she needed to prove to her that she was the right person to bring into senior camp.

After a few minutes, everyone was attended to and the game continued with Casey's possession with twenty minutes still to go in the first half. They needed to go into halftime up, so she played the long ball and sprung Terra up top, who stay on-side and battled with a defender to win the ball, able to get a shot on net and force a save from the other goalkeeper. They lined up for a corner, Anna going up from her left back position to take it since she was the only left-footed player on the field. She took the corner, Emma going up to get a head on it and sending it down to the far post, the goalkeeper stuck ball watching and could not get down quick enough, the ball rolling to the post and bouncing off, the opposing defense being quick to clear it away from the net. It was times like that in any game where the angst got high and the Dragons were on their toes. There was a new type of frustration on the field from either side as the game went into halftime scoreless.

They talked about what they needed to look for and recognize out on the field, such as the other goalkeeper coming off her line a lot while the attack was in their half, so look for a chip goal, or watching out for the long runs by the outside midfielders. They were quick but their forwards were not, but the forwards knew how to be in the right place at the right time. Riley and Casey talked tactics with the other defenders to shut down their offense and they broke to take the field for the second half. Riley and Casey did their handshake and went to their positions. There was a new positive energy floating with the team over frustration, and they played aggressive but kept their spirits high. Their chance would come, they just needed to be patient.

It was not until the last ten minutes of the half that there was a spark of creativity from the Dragons. They had been fighting hard all game to keep their nil-nil scoreline, Casey coming up with a few more big saves to keep them in the game. The teams were both first place in their conferences, so it was a battle to the death, for in a district tournament, if you lose, you are out the rest of the tournament.