Go hard or go home;; Joseph

[katherine lavinia morgan]

It was the State Cup match and Katherine was here to go hard. It was all or nothing. There were college scouts here watching her every move, how she conducted herself under pressure, how she worked with her team, her physical ability, everything. The girl was prepared. She had gone through a crazy amount of training between her own travel team and her sister’s national team. It had been an honor to practice with them. The girls there were great and didn’t take it easy on her even if she was quite a bit younger than them all. Ricki hoped to be standing on the pitch with them in their uniform by the time she turned eighteen. She already had her sister, and the chance to practice with them. The girl had done an exceptional job keeping up with them. Sure, she struggled, but who wouldn’t seeing as these girls were the best of the best.

Walking out onto the pitch after half time, the score was 2-2, a tough match. The girl didn’t expect it to be easy though. Her own team had possession to start off this half. Her teammate passed it back to her at the sound of the whistle and she sent the ball wide to one of her outside wings, striding up the field even with her players. The ball was crossed into the top of the eighteen and Ricki lunged forward for a volley, but the keeper punched the ball over the crossbar. The girl shook it off and jogged over to the corner flag for the kick. Sending it over the players to the back post, it was a wasted effort because no one got a touch on it. Whatever. There would be more opportunities. They were only about fifteen minutes into the second half.

Jogging back to the midfield line, Ricki positioned herself and her offensive players around that area to receive the goal kick. “No bounce!” she shouted out. The ball was sent to her right. Her team mate stepped up with the header into center field. Ricki half volleyed it to her left foot and flicked it to one of her team mates a few yards away before rolling off the player marking her and making a run up the field with her striker. Her striker crossed the ball into her, bouncing at her feet. The girl gained control of the ball and sprinted forward, megging one of the defenders, she smiled a bit. Megging anyone was quite amusing. Within two strides, things got serious. The keeper stepped off her line and charged the girl. Just as the keeper was about to go down for the dive, Katherine slid and flicked the ball to the near post. The keeper dove down at her feet just a moment too late and a defender slide tackled her from the side.

Ricki’s foot got caught under the keepers foot and the defender’s spiked cleats crashed into her shin. Everyone within ten feet of her could have heard the sickening snap from her leg. An excruciating amount of pain shocked her bones and muscles and a cry escaped the girl’s soft pink lips. She laid her head back down onto the grass and covered her eyes with the palms of her hands. Tears threatened to flow down from her crystal blue eyes, but she wasn’t one to let others see her cry. The girl laid there in silence, motionless as a statue with one knee bent, the other extended out and sticking out at an odd angle.