June 17th, 2022
Morgana's POV
The game started slowly on both sides to be honest, I got 2 decent shots on goal, but nothing that was going to put us on the board.
Then in the 20th, Vanessa DiBernardo gave Mal a great pass right in the box, and a defender came out of nowhere to absoultely bodyslam her.
We got called for a PK, but I didn't care. Mal was down, and looked hurt. I rn over to her and knelt down next to her.
"Mal. Mallory. Mal." I said, tapping her a bit.
"Morg. Morgana. Morg." She said.
"Are you okay? What hurts?" I asked, putting my head on the ground so it was level with hers.
I probably looked completely stupid, but I didn't care.
"Just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all." She said, and I sat up to help her sit up.
"Arms up." I said, helping pull her up.
"I got it." She lifted her arms above her head, and I looked over to see the ref giving the defender a yellow card, and her and her team fighting back.
"She's getting a yellow." I told Mal, and then I helped her stand up. The crowd cheered, and I went over to where the ref was with the team.
"Leave her alone. It was a clear yellow, now let's get on with the game." I said to the defender.
"Why don't you mind your own?" She said.
"Stoppage time kills." I said, referring to the last game KC played, in which they lost in stoppage.
"Why do you care?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?"
The ref told us to break it up, and we did.
But here comes our payback.
The coach left it up to us to decide who would take the PK, becaise Mal had be taken off by the trainers for a minute, and she'd be back on, but not before the PK has to be taken.
"You take it, Morgana." Said Rachel Hill.
"Are you sure?"
"Very." Said Tatumn Milazzo, and we all got in position for me to take the kick.
I stared at the ball on the spot, just standing right over it. I took a deep breath, and then the whistle was blown, signaling that I could kick, I backed up straight back.
My best PK tactic was the go straight back, because then it's harder to read where I'm going to go.
Then I ran up to the ball and took a strike with my left foot, my non dominant foot, right to the corner, where the goalie didn't have a chance.
The first thing I did after the ball went in was turn to look for Mal, and I did 2 thumbs up as everyone crowded around me for the goal celebration.
Mal came back on, and the game went on as usual.
In the 35th minute, I had a breakaway, but was shut down with a slide tack from the defender that took out Mal.
I fell forward, saving myself by doing a somersalt when I hit the ground. I got up, and went to get back in the play without a word, but she smirked and laughed a bit.
That made me angry, because I'm not gonna be perfect all the time. I also got past her twice already.
I brushed it off, and waited for the throw in. And it fell right to my feet, so I turned the ball around and guess who was behind me?
I took out my best moves, fakes her out, but then she caught up to me, but I quickly nutmegged her, and gave Mal a perfect pass, which she used to put the ball to the top right corner.
She ran to me, giving me a hug. The crowd went wild, and we did out handshake.
"Would it be too much if we shoved eachother?" I joked.
"Nah." She said, shoving me, then I shoved her, and she fell over dramatically. We laughed, and I helped her up, and we reset.
By halftime the score was 2-0 us, and though a bit banged up, we were ready to got for another 45.
When we went onto the field after halftime, I saw a group of girls with a sign that asked me to flex my muscles when I scored. I wished I saw that before I scored my PK, but it's okay. I can do it when I score my next goal. Because I feel it coming.
I pointed to the girls, and gave them a thumbs up. One of them had her phone out videoing, and they all laughed. I did too.
First 25 minutes nothing but shots going wide or right to the goalies, and then KC scored one.
"They say 2-0 is the most dangerous lead." I said to Mal as we walked back to center circle.
The score was 2-1 now, and I wasn't having it.
But my not having it wasn't enough, clearly, because I couldn't score. Mal saw my frustration, and she gave me a look, telling me to calm down.
Then it made me super angry when I got tackled from behind in the box and got no call. The crowd booed, and then when I pulled myself together to stand up, I threw my hands up.
"No call?" I yelled, angry as ever.
Mal ran over to me, and told me that I had to calm down otherwise cach was gonna pull me off. I wiped the sweat from my face with my jersey, and I pulled myself together.
Then I thought about how mad Lena would be if they didn't call that. Then I was angry AND sad, which isn't a great combo for me, or anyone really.
I took a few deep breaths, which was what I knew Mal would tell me to do, then I figured out that my favorite had tackled me. My absoulte favorite.
I looked at the defender, and I felt the rage build inside of me. Just walked away so she couldn't see my emotions showing, and she wouldn't laugh or do something she would regret, which would make me do something I would regret.
But she was laughing, I could hear. Some professional soccer player. Dirty tackles and immaturity?
That all happened in the 90th minute, right as 2 minutes of stoppage was put up, and I got stressed that I was going to get pulled out.
But after about a minute, our defense was able to clear the ball to me, and I carried the ball all the way from half to the goal, putting the ball to the low corner.
I beat 3 defenders on that, so that felt good.
Celebration happened, and I flexed my muscles, looking at the girls in the stands.
I think one said to another: "I told you she'd get it!" becaise I read her lips.
I looked back at the defender, and I tried hard not to laugh at the way she was yelling at her team.
Then KC got the ball up the field a bit, and I came back to play defense.
Then I did the best thing ever.
I slide tackled the defender. The one that hurt Mal, the ont that made me take tumble, one of the ones I beat to get to the goal on my last one.
I smirked and laughed a little as I got back in the play, which made her visibly mad.
No matter what, I always get thr last laugh.
Then, before the ball was thrown in, she came over to me. and told me to shut ip.
I put my hands up, because I didn't say ahything. "What did I say?"
"You laughed."
"You say that as if you didn't laugh the whole game very time you stopped one of us, or you know, bodyslammed my teammate. Some professional athlete you are." I said, then she shoved me backwards a bit.
"No wonder your sister beat you up." She said.
"Woah. Don't-"
"You're a little bitch, that's why!"
A bunch of my teammates and hers had gathered around us, and I felt tears sting my eyes.
"Don't say anything like that again." I said, my fists balled.
"Can't say that stuff." Mal said.
"No one asked you what you can and can't say, but thanks for your useless input, you idiot."
"DON'T SAY THAT!" I yelled, and I felt Mal violently grab my arm, along with a few other girls, and pushed me backwards. The ref carded the girl, I think she carded Mal for yelling some pretty bad choice words at the girl, but I had stepped off because of my little mental breakdown or whatever was happening.
Mal talked to the girl, and then the girl got so mad, and my teammates laughed a bit.
No matter what, I somehow always get the last laugh.
I put out an update a day early :) I did this mainly so I could ask what you guys would rather see first, because I now have 2 books completely written. I can either start to put out chapters of a Sophia Smith story or one where the main character is Julie Ertz's little cousin. Hope you enjoyed this update and please let me know which one first! I promise you'll get to see both at some point!