Three seconds left. I can hear the ref counting down. Two more seconds. I desperately want to run away from the game. One more second, who’s going to win?
I woke up Saturday morning ready to play. Ready as I ever had been. I knew it was going to be a tough game, and some of our players couldn’t play. I stepped outside onto the burning hot driveway. Inside my car, it was even hotter. I could already tell that it was going to be a long game.
The car ride there seemed like it would never end. When I finally got to the field, I ran over to our bench and hopped in the shuttle lines that were already taking place. The refs called for captains, and we started running some 3 v 2’s. In a “3 v 2 drill, playesrs get into five lines, three at midfield, and two next to the goal, on the end line. The goalie clears (passes) the ball to one of the three attackers at midfield, and the two players in the lines next to the goal are the defenders. The point of this drill is to practice fast-break offense in a game situation, and defense to defend a fast-break situation when you’re outnumbered. We did a few more drills, and then the refs blew their whistles for stick checks. Everyone was already really sweaty and my water was halfway empty. Ready or not, it was game time.
We ran onto the field excited and pumped up to play. We won the draw, gaining possession right off the bat. We scored; they scored. The game went back and forth for forty- five minutes straight. It was hot. Everyone was tired. With one minute left, we were up by one. They scored. The game ended and overtime began. Fifteen minutes on the clock. Whoever scored the most goals in the given amount of time would go home victorious. One minute left in overtime. I got called for a penalty, and they got the ball on the goal line extended. We regained possession, but we were still down by one. Working our way down the field, with a few seconds left, we got the ball into shooting range. Three seconds left. I can hear the ref counting down. Two more seconds. I desperately want to run away from the game. As I watch my teammate shoot the ball, all I can think is: Who is going to win?
Well apparently, not us. Unfortunately, my teammate got checked as she was taking the shot. They won; we lost. But it was all okay in the end. After the game, my coach gave our team and encouraging pep-talk and assured us that we played a great game. After all, someone had to lose, unfortunately, it was our turn.
Lacrosse provides me with experiences that I can’t get from any other sports. It’s so different, and every time I play a new team, it’s a whole new experience. This game in particular was such an awesome experience, and I really hope that I will get another chance to play that team. Maybe next time we can beat them.