The Run Cut Short

It was that special time of year. Sophia’s stomach was in butterflies. The latter half of the previous season went well for her so she was less nervous than usual. Her back was finally at full strength but her coach sat her out of the three mile run portion of try outs this year just in case. She found this odd since she felt fine but she wasn’t about to start complaining.

She didn’t have to run. This was a telltale sign that the coach already knew what Sophia could do and he didn’t need to see it. It was almost as if she had already made the team. The rest of tryouts flowed easily and by the end Sophia knew that her name would be on the varsity list, again. The next morning her name read bright and clear at the top of the piece of paper on her coach’s door.

Next, she started planning her goals for the season. This year she was more determined than ever. How she played would be the deciding factor of whether she would be captain the following year. As much as she was a team player, she wasn’t always going to be nice like she had in the past. She wanted to elevate her team to a new level. To do this she had to gain the respect of everyone, even the seniors. She also wanted to play more mid-field so that she could be the one creating more of the opportunities.

She wanted to be the key element.

The season started out well. Sophia was not only playing, she was starting. She had more confidence than she had ever had before and it showed. She was very vocal, lifting her teammates up when they were down. Even her style of play had changed; she took risks with the ball that she had never taken before. She was using the soccer field much like a canvas, creating what she loved; to win.

They faced a tough schedule this year full of games against top opponents. But her team seemed to really step up to the challenge by winning most of their games against teams ranked higher than them. Sophia knew they really had a chance to make the state tournament when they almost beat one of the top five teams. Sophia’s team was winning for most of the game until the last two minutes when the other team barely came back. The game ended in a two-two tie.

They could now taste state.

While Sophia didn’t score in that game, she walked away very proud that she assisted both goals. Her greatest achievement was catching the eye of the opposing coach. After the game he walked up to Sophia and told her that she was a great player with a lot of potential. His word meant a lot to Sophia because he was a well-known coach of a private school where they allowed recruiting from other areas in Georgia.

As the season went on Sophia began to be looked at by college scouts and was even asked to join a new travel team. Sophia was so excited; college scouts were beginning to come to her Saturday practices. While she was excited about this her focus was still on her high school season. There was a big game coming up. They were playing a team in their region that was very good, beatable, but good. The winner of this game would go to the state tournament.

The week before the big game Sophia faced an unexpected challenge; she came down with the flu. She was throwing up and very sick. She missed a week of practice but did everything she could to speed up her recovery. When the day of the game came she felt much better but was not 100 percent. Although her coach did not start her he put her in soon after the game got under way. She surprised herself by playing well and to her full ability.

But her team got behind.

Sophia was very confident that they could come back from a 2-1 deficit and began creating many opportunities, but they just weren’t turning into goals. She was fighting harder than she had ever fought, never wanting anything more. What happened next shocked everyone. The ball went out of bounds and the whistle blew. Her teammate came out on to the field and said “Sophia, you’re out.” Sophia stopped, looked at her coach and just stared. She thought it must be a mistake, but he motioned for her to come to the bench.

When she got to the bench she yelled, “WHY??? I’m fine.” Her coach replied with a parental, “I don’t want to push you.” He obviously didn’t realize her dedication. She was furious. She looked up at her dad in the stands and he knew exactly what she was thinking. Her coach kept her on the bench for the rest of the game. Sophia sat in agonizing pain watching her team as they lost the opportunity to go to the state tournament.

She was going to walk off the field without shaking hands but when she saw the look on her dads face she knew she had to turn around and do the right thing. After that was over she ran to the parking lot and sobbed. She said a few ‘not so nice’ things about her coach to her dad as he did his best to calm her down.

But Sophia had never been so mad in her life.

That was the end of the season. The only thing left was the end of the year team banquet. Sophia didn’t want to go to the banquet but she knew if she had hopes of becoming captain next year it would be best for her to put her anger aside and attend like a leader should. As her coach was giving out awards, she just knew she would be the most valuable player. When her name wasn’t called she sat silent and angry. She knew exactly why she didn’t receive it, because she was going to get the most honorable award instead, the coach’s award. Sure enough her coach said the most amazing things about her and announced that she was the glue that held the team together on and off the field.

Her father looked at her and said “if he only knew the things you said about him after that game.” And then they exchanged a smiled as she graciously walked up accept her award. Now it was time to put that season behind her. She had to turn her focus to making captain. Leading was in her blood and besides making state it was the last goal she set for her high school soccer career.