Feet

Chapter 5

It was a very quick game in which we won 5 to 1. They were easier than I thought they would be. Then, as it had said in the letter, we had a week off to practice. We would practice five hours a day but the last day of rest. We didn't want to be so tired that we couldn't play. That day, we ate food with a lot of carbohydrates and drank a lot of water. We didn't want to fail, what team would? We already had half of the teams gone which meant the easier teams were gone and the harder teams still were in it to win it.

On the last rest day, Susan screamed,

"Do you guys know what I hate? I hate this coach. What does she do? I know I am a good goalie but she doesn't-' she hesitated for a moment 'Does she even try?"

Coach Nina came out from the back room where she was staying. She paused, her mouth dropped open, as if someone had just shot her in the foot. Susan finally realized everyone was pointing behind her and she stuttered,

"I-I- it was a joke please, um, I'm sorry."

"As you should be. You don't have to agree with my methods, but at least have the courage to say it to my face. Someone once told me, "If you hate me, then so be it, but do not share this hate with everyone you see, for, it will spread hate." You know what that means? Tell it to me and only me, otherwise you are just being a pest."

"A pest? After all I've done for this team? That's what you have to say!"

"If the shoe fits.."

Susan looked appalled, she took her kleats and her uniform off and threw them at Coach Nina. "I'm done you piece of shit!"

"At least I'm a piece of shit with some dignity. Leave your kleats and uniform on your locker and go." She calmly pointed to the exit. Susan stormed off.

What was she doing? We all thought she was drinking, because nobody in their right minds would quit.

Susan packed up her things and on her way out she said, "Go to hell, all of you, just wasting your time on this stupid thing, and guess what? No one is ever going to care about a women's soccer team"

I knew that someone was going to say something. It happened to be Lucy, and the whole team stood behind her. She was a leader.

"I got news for you, we are a team, we wouldn't want some one like you to tarnish that. People do care about women's soccer team. I know I do." Everyone nodded in agreement, and Susan was gone.

"Where's the goalie," a fatigued Coach Nina asked wiping her eyes. It was 4 AM, her and I were the only ones awake.

I replied, "You kicked her off the team."

" Right right. Do you think you can play goal?"

"Well,"

"Grace, I need you. Please, just for these two games?"

"Fine, I will play goalie." How the hell am I going to do this?

We went in the den and got ready. We were happy on the ride there and excited to see what the outcome would be. We got to the fields and were ready.

The announcer called, "Is United States and Sweden ready?" Sweden? Are they hard? I thought to myself.

"Yes." Both coaches said.

He asked for me and a girl on there team. He told us the same thing as before, "Sweden will have the ball first and in the second half the US will have the ball, there are two thirty minute halves, and remind your coaches that we are playing 11 verse 11."

Then, like before I had to tell coach exactly what he said.

"Are the teams ready?' he said in a loud booming voice 'Go"

And we went off. I was so scared in goal, I hadn't ever played that position before. But with every lithe Swedish offender, I tried as heard as I could to make saves. I kept remembering what coach told me while she was warming me up, "Look at the ball, not the offenders. Their feet will move at incredible speed, but focus on the ball, and the ball alone. Drown out the noise of the crowd. It's just you and the ball and the net. Focus," she said looking into my eyes throwing the ball at me with force. I remembered this the whole 60 minutes, and we won 7-5. 

Then next day we played Italy and won 3-1. They had good offense but our defense held together well. We had no idea what the finals would bring.

All we new was that we were going to face the Bulgarians. Their team wore red with black zig-zag stripes for the shirt and pants. They wore black socks and black cleats with bright red shoe-laces. They screamed 'We are Bulgarians, here us roar.' They wore a red plastic covering their mouths probably protecting their teeth. Their broad shoulders and harsh, angular faces intimitated us.

The next day, we started the game. They sped by offense but not our defense. Our defence stuck strong with them. We won the ball away from them. Lucy dribbled down the field and passed to Elsie. She made a move past the defence and tried to shoot. Their goalie saved it. I remembered that she was the only goalie who didn't let one single ball in the goal.

She was difficult to beat. They came down the field in full speed, went passed the defense and scored. We went up the field but their defence stole it and by the time they were about to score I was ready. They shot but I saved it and did a big kick down the field.

"Defense, don't let them get by you." I yelled

"Sorry Grace, they are fast."

"You guys are faster. Stop them."

Lucy passed it to Elsie, she went by defence, passed back to Lucy and we tried to shoot but we missed. They scored another goal at the end of the half. Our coach gave us a speech.

"We are down right now and we need to get back up. I am going to put in Clair for defence and see where we go from there. We should win if we do a little bit better on defence and make better shots on offence. We can beat them. Bring all you got into this. This is the finals. Why don't we win. Doesn't every body here want to win? Yes. On the count of three say U.S.A. Ready? One...two...three"

"U.S.A!" We all shouted.

Then it was time for the second half. We had the ball to start off. Lucy kicked it in the air to Elsie, Elsie headed it back to Clair, and Clair booted it up to Lucy who was making a run and then we SCORED! We were so happy. Not only were we the first people to score a goal on them, we could be the first to win!

As we shared the excitement, Bulgaria looked angry.They tried to do a passing move but we stole the ball. A girl from Bulgaria was in my way so I couldn't see wait was going on. All I could see was the players shift to where the ball was. There was ten minutes left in the game. I heard the crowd cheer, we scored... again. When it was tied, we had felt good, we had hope! They had the ball, did a move, and got passed defence. They were so fast. They shot but I saved it with my hands. I did another big kick down the field. Clair got it, she passed to Elsie who passed it to Lucy. Lucy was ready. She mad an amazing shot and we scored! One minute left in the game. They were dribbling down. Our defence stole it. I told them to stall so that time would slowly run out and we would win.

When ever a player from Bulgaria came to Clair, she would turn to the other direction. Thirty seconds left. Clair made a huge kick in the air to Elsie who did the same.Ten... nine... eight, time was running out. Then, "Game over! U.S.A wins the Women's Cup!"

We won the finals! We got gold medals and a beautiful trophy that had a soccer ball going into a goal. Coach Nina gave me the trophy, smiling. "Thank you for bringing this team together," she spoke softly.

"Thankyou for being our coach," with that, Lucy and I did what those oafish male futbol players do, and dumped gatorade all over her. The whole team followed. A photographer shot us all hugging one another.

*October, 1972*

For all these years, I have kept that same trophy. I have kept everything. The outfit that doesn't fit me anymore, the big gold trophy, the old soccer ball that I use to play with, a picture of team, everything. Lucy and I still talk but not as much as we used to. We have a team reunion every ten years. We tell each other how our life is and I we catch up on things. My family now keeps me busy, but I can never forget that first soccer team, they were my first family.

I am glad that fifty years later, I can still remember the story perfectly.