Breakfast In Bed

Practice with Barnie

"You're up early." Becky noted. She had woken to an empty bed at 7 in the morning and ventured into the kitchen to find coffee. Alyssa was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of steaming coffee and reading the paper. Well, the part of paper that Athena wasn't sitting on.

"Yeah. Couldn't go back to sleep." The goalkeeper shrugged.

"That doesn't mean you had to leave." Becky pouted at the woman while the Keurig brewed her cup.

"Sorry honey. You were sleeping so well I didn't want to disturb that. You need all the rest you can get these days."

"Shut it." Becky took the steaming mug and slid next to Alyssa. "Pass me the sports section."

"Good luck. That is what is warming Athena's rear." Alyssa put down the business section and gestured.

"Of course. Down girl." Becky waved her hands at Athena. The black cat merely leveled her green eyes at Becky and laid down. "Oh, it is going to be that way, is it? Well I have thumbs." She reached over and scooped up the cat. Athena meowed loudly in protest but Becky was having none of it. She unceremoniously dropped the cat on the floor and grabbed the sports section. Alyssa chuckled and went back to reading the business section.

---

"Dammit Barnie that one hurt." Alyssa shook her palms out. She was currently at a 'keepers only' practice with Becky's FCKC teammate and former USWNT player Nicole Barnhart.

"Well yeah they are supposed to. That is what you'll face against the likes of Germany, England, and France." Barnie shrugged.

"Yeah yeah I know." Alyssa refocused and got back into position.

Alyssa had reached out to Barnie during January camp and asked for her fellow goalkeeper's help in prepping for the SheBelieves Cup. The FCKC shot stopper had agreed, knowing that Alyssa was trying to get all the help she could get for her first significant games in a tournament. They had met up at FCKC's training grounds after breakfast. Barnie was currently cracking shots at the Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper from different points outside of the 18. They were going to work their way to inside the 6-yard box as neither trusted Jill to provide either of her goalkeepers in the tournament with an adequate defense. Barnie hammered another shot that rattled off of the upper ninety, past Alyssa's outstretched arms. The younger woman swore again then slowly pushed herself up.

"You have to stay alert Lys. These aren't the shots we typically see in the NWSL. They will take them from anywhere and with laser accuracy. They are going to make you and Ash stretch to full extension every time to see where you are weak. They know as little about you as you do about them."

"This isn't exactly comforting information Barnie." Alyssa growled as she reset.

"It wasn't meant to be comforting, it was meant to be informing. You need to know what you are going to be up against." She cracked another shot. Alyssa got her fingertips on it to push it over the crossbar while narrowly avoiding running into the goalpost. "Good. Be ready to do that while tracking the ball through a crowded box."

Alyssa sighed and pushed herself up. The grind was starting to wear her down and this was her first major tournament. Her nerves were spiking through the roof. She took a few deep breaths and reset as Nicole moved closer. Now she about 12-15 yards out.

The younger goalkeeper managed to stop the first few shots. On the third, she got enough on it to push it out of the goal. She thought she was golden until Barnie shot forward and sent the shot rocketing into the other end of the goal. Alyssa pushed herself up off the ground and charged toward the older goalkeeper.