The Winning Goal

The Winning Goal

Jimmy stood on the center line, the ball just inches from his toe, waiting for the referee to blow his whistle. He knew there were only a few minutes left on the clock, and his team was down by a goal. All he had to do was stay focused, get possession of the ball, and walk it down to the net. If he could do all that, he knew scoring would be the easy part.

The center on the opposing team was a foot taller than Jimmy, but he didn’t have the skill. Jimmy spent every moment of his spare time with the soccer ball, learning how to manipulate it, hold it still, and shoot it into the net from any angle. It was his passion, he would play professionally.

When the whistle blew, he burst into action. Jimmy took the ball, passed it forward to Eddie, and ran toward the net. His heart began to pound wildly as adrenaline rushed through him.

The ball flew past him over to Tom. A defender rushed to the ball, stripping it from Tom. It was over; all they had to do was clear the ball. Tom didn’t back off, fought to regain control, and with the tip of his toe, knocked the ball behind the defender. Tom continued to the goal, coming up on the left.

Jimmy headed to the net, praying that Tom would shoot it high over the goalie’s head, or quickly pass it to him. Tom glanced at him quickly, but took the shot. The goalie was ready and punched the ball out. Tom got it, kicking it into the air, and right toward Jimmy. He sprung up and headed it toward the net. The goalie flew into the air, as the ball sailed over his fingertip. “GOAL!”

WC: 299, excluding title.