Game-Day Jitters (2 page)

But then he saw Loop and he remembered.

Soccer. Tomorrow afternoon. The play-offs.

*   *   *

“This is quite a sports week in our house,” Ben’s dad said at dinner that night.

Ben pushed a pile of string beans with his fork and stared at the chicken. He hadn’t eaten anything yet. He was too nervous about tomorrow’s game.

Across the table, his older brother, Larry, had a mouthful of food and was grinning as he chewed.

He won’t be so hungry tomorrow night
, Ben thought.
Before his race
.

Larry would be competing in the league cross-country championship race on Friday afternoon. He was one of the best runners on the Lincoln Junior High School team.

“Eat up, Ben,” Mom said.

“I’m not hungry.”

Mom set down her fork. “You’re
never
not hungry,” she said. “What’s the matter?”

“He’s too worked up about tomorrow,” Larry
said. “Listen, Ben. It’s just another game.”

“It’s
not
‘just another game,’ ” Ben snapped. “This is the play-offs.”

Larry shook his head slowly. “My coach always tells us to prepare for every race the same way.”

“This isn’t a race.” Ben stabbed the chicken and left the fork standing straight up in it. “We’re playing the best team in the league. The loser is done for the season.”

“You have to focus,” Larry said. “Of course you’ll play harder than ever. Championship games are like that. But you’ll do better if you start out by telling yourself that it’s just another game.”

Ben scowled and yanked the fork out of the chicken. He took a swig of milk and set down the glass. “You wouldn’t say the league championship is just another
race
, would you?”

Larry shrugged. “That
is
what I’m saying. If I let myself get all nervous about it, I’d probably run badly. Staying focused and calm is the way to go.”

“Easy for you to say,” Ben replied. “Let’s see how you feel tomorrow night. Or on Friday before the race.”

Larry laughed. “You’re right. It isn’t easy to stay calm. But you can try. And believe me, you’ll be sorry tomorrow if you don’t eat. You’ll be sprinting around that soccer field harder than ever, and you’ll run out of fuel.”

Ben scooped up a bite of chicken and shoved it into his mouth. It tasted good. Suddenly he realized how hungry he was. He ate everything on his plate and then asked for more.

*   *   *

Ben lay on his bed later that evening, staring at the ceiling. He thought about the first time his team had played the Falcons. Loop and his teammate Alex had made Ben look silly a few times with some very tricky fakes. He’d worked on that a lot since then—making fakes of his own and learning not to get fooled by another player’s moves.

And even though the Bobcats had lost that game, Ben knew his team was nearly as good as the Falcons. They could keep the game close tomorrow. But could they beat them? He wasn’t so sure about that. And if he played poorly, the game could be a blowout.

Ben’s door was open, but Larry knocked on it to get his attention. “How you doing, knuckle head?” Larry said.

“I’m okay. Just nervous.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad before,”
Larry said. “I just know what it’s like to get so worked up before a game that you hurt your chances. The other team will be jittery, too.”

“Loop doesn’t get the jitters,” Ben said. “He acts like they’ve already won the game.”

“Then he’ll be shocked if you guys jump out to the lead tomorrow,” Larry said. “Let him think they’re going to stomp on you again. Being overconfident can be even worse than being afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” Ben said. “I just can’t wait to get going. I want to win this game more than any I’ve ever played.”

As soon as the final bell rang on Thursday, Ben hurried out of the classroom and out of the school. He was already wearing his soccer shirt, and he had his shorts on under his pants. His shin guards and cleats were in his backpack, so he ran all the way to the field.

He had planned to sit in the bleachers and watch the first play-off game between the Rabbits and the Panthers, but he couldn’t sit still.

He kicked a ball back and forth with Erin for a few minutes, then dropped to the grass and looked up at the clouds. The air was cool and there was a light wind. A perfect day for soccer.

Once in a while, Ben heard cheering from the field, so he looked over. Usually it was the Rabbits who were cheering.

He stood near the sidelines to watch the end of the game. The Rabbits had beaten Ben’s team both times they’d played. Ben knew they’d have a third meeting if the Bobcats could beat the Falcons, because the Rabbits were on their way to an easy win over the Panthers.

First things first
, he thought. This semifinal would be the Bobcats’ toughest test yet.

When the game ended, Ben stayed put for a minute, watching Loop and his teammates as they raced onto the field in their red jerseys. They sure looked confident.

Ben looked around at his own teammates. The Bobcats had started the season slowly, not even scoring a goal until their third game. But they’d become a solid team in the second half of the season.

We’ve come a long way
, he thought. He swallowed hard. Could they really beat the Falcons? Or would this game be as embarrassing as the last time they’d played?

Mark and Kim were passing a ball around. Ben had had some trouble with Mark early on, but once they’d started working together on the field, they’d begun to get along off it, too. Kim was a great passer, and she and Ben had combined on a few scoring plays.

Over by the goal, Jordan and Erin were firing shots toward Shayna. Jordan had probably made the most improvement of all the Bobcats. He’d scored quite a few times.

Ben noticed that Shayna was limping a bit.
He stepped over to the side of the field and nodded to Omar and Darren, who were just arriving.

“Huge game!” said Omar, raising his palm for Ben to smack it.

“You don’t have to remind me,” Ben said. “I haven’t stopped thinking about this one since last Saturday.”

Ben ran back and forth across the field a few times, then started dribbling a ball. He felt loose and excited.

Loop can think whatever he wants
, Ben told himself.
This is going to be a close game
.

“Goalie?” Ben couldn’t believe where Coach Patty had assigned him to play. This was the play-offs. Ben was a goal scorer. But Coach wanted him to start the game as goalkeeper.

“How come?” he asked.

“I think it’s our best chance,” Coach said, taking Ben aside from the rest of the team. “Shayna usually plays goalie for the first half, but her left ankle is sore. Let’s see how she feels after playing defense for a while. She might be ready to take over as keeper later.”

Ben nodded. Goalkeepers had to dart from side to side and jump a lot. A sore ankle would be a problem.

Coach smiled. “She keeps telling me she’s okay, but I can tell.” Shayna was Coach Patty’s daughter.

“But why me?” Ben asked. There were six other Bobcats besides him and Shayna.

“The Falcons will be coming at us full force at the beginning,” Coach said. “I don’t want them to get a quick lead. You’ve done very well when you’ve played goalie. Don’t worry—you’ll play up front before long.”

“Okay,” Ben said.

Coach was probably right. With Loop and Alex on the front line at the start, the Falcons were likely to bombard whoever was in goal for the Bobcats. Ben had played goalie only a few times this season, and not for very long. Still, he’d stopped all but one shot.

So Ben grabbed the big yellow jersey and pulled it over his blue Bobcats shirt. He picked up the goalie gloves and stretched them onto his hands. Now there was even more pressure on him. If the Falcons jumped to a quick lead, it would be his fault.

This was
not
just another game.

His teammates shot the ball at him several times, and Ben caught every shot or knocked it away. Mark sent a hard one toward the upper corner of the goal, but Ben leaped and tipped it over the crossbar.

“Looking good,” Mark said.

“I’m ready.”

“Huddle up, team!” Coach called. Ben jogged out toward the center circle, and the rest of the Bobcats gathered around him.

“Be aggressive, but be smart,” Coach said. “When we have the ball, spread out. When they have the ball, cover them.”

Ben stuck out his hand and Erin set hers on top. The rest of the teammates stacked theirs in the pile, too, and Ben said, “Three … two … one …”

“Bobcats!” they yelled.

As the huddle broke, Ben leaped into the air, kicking himself in the butt with both feet.
Let’s get this thing started
, he thought.

He looked across the field and saw Loop staring back. Loop patted himself on the chest and pointed at Ben.

Yes, the Falcons would be coming at them with full force.

As he walked toward the goal, Ben tucked the goalie jersey into his shorts. It was baggy and long. He clapped his hands and said, “Let’s go,” but he wasn’t feeling confident.