SUNSHINE

fifty-eight

[ Long chapter, but it all needed to be in one, so enjoy as much as you can. ]

Through the next few days, Dr. Henry and Casey had kept one another updated on things going on, the surgeon keeping her updated on the status of her father and she keeping her updated on her schedule so Dr. Henry knew when she was free to talk. Vlatko had continued to check in with her, and she kept him updated with what she knew. She had given him Dr. Henry's number so she could contact him if there was an emergency and she was in training or a game. So far it was all good, but he had not come out of his coma yet, and it had been three days. She just wanted to talk to her father, hear his voice.

They arrived at the stadium three hours ahead of their scheduled kickoff time, ready to get amped up for their game against Canada. They were all excited, and even though Casey was not herself, she still felt the excitement of the semifinal game before them. She hooked her phone up to the sound system in the locker room and turned up the volume, trying to get herself into the game. A half hour into getting ready her phone went off, buzzing against the metal of the locker. She picked it up and saw she had a new message from Alessio, and she opened it instantly. It was an image of him sitting with her father, ready to watch the semifinal game. She smiled at the image, her father not awake but he looked alright, given the circumstances. It warmed her heart that Alessio had gone to sit with him so he was not alone. She pulled Alex over to take a selfie to send back to him, then she put her phone down, back in good spirits as they went to take the field to warm up.

The opening whistle finally blew, and the first semifinal of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup between the United States and Canada was underway. As they had decided, the Americans went with the starting four-three-three they had been working with, allowing O'Hara and Krieger to get in on the outsides. Dahlkemper and Sauerbrunn had been solid in the centerback position the entire tournament, and that was not changing. Ertz played in the middle with Lavelle and Heath at either winger positions, then Morgan, Pugh, and Press were playing up top. They were pressing hard, trying to get something in the opening minutes of the game, but all they got were fouled by the Canadians. It was always a bloodbath type of game between the two of them, and the last time Casey had played against Canada she punctured her lung after an extremely hard collision with Adriana Leon. Alex still called her wheezy sometimes.

They went into halftime scoreless, which was not an odd storyline for them, but with the way they had been playing the entire tournament, they expected to at least be a goal up. They had chances, several good ones in fact, but the Canadian backline and Steph Labbe were keeping them in the game. Casey had faced a couple of good shots on goal, but they were all pretty simple saves on her end. Vlatko did not say much to them in the locker room, for they were playing great, he just wanted to see some more shots on net and opportunities capitalized on.

Both teams took the field once more, the United States still coming in with their original game plan. Canada seemed to tweak their plan a little, but it was not doing any good for them as the USA continued to get shots on net. They were knocking on the door, hard, but there was no answer to their efforts. Both teams were getting frustrated now, wanting to get a goal, and fouls were being committed all over the field. The referee issued a yellow card or two to a few of the Canadian players, but everything changed when Fleming was slotted through into the eighteen. Casey was quick to come off her line, but Dahlkemper had tracked back, getting on the ball, but not without clipping the Canadian player. The referee blew the whistle, and the Canadian fans were going wild in the stands. Dahlkemper tried to argue her case, saying she dove, but it was to no avail as Janine Beckie stood up over the ball at the center dot. Casey took a couple deep breaths, knowing this could end her shutout record and put them behind. The minutes were winding down, only about ten minutes left of regular time, and they were facing a penalty kick. Casey readied herself, watching the movements of Beckie as they waited for the whistle to blow.