“GET OVER HERE!  NOW!”  Coach Sherwood bellowed at the team to get over to the sideline.  We were kind of half trotting, but now, it seemed that we had all turned into cheetahs, in fear of getting lacrosse push ups.  Or even the dreaded laps.  We were down at the half.  3-1.  Our heads were hung like dying branches on a tree. 

“Get your heads up,”  Coach Sherwood started the halftime speech, “everyone, we are the better team here.  It’s pretty easy to see.” 

The coach started talking about our defense, and my mind wandered.  He went through what the middies could do better, and I stayed tuned in to my own little station somewhere on an island in no-one-knows-where.  I heard the word attack and apparently there are teleporters because I was back on the lacrosse field, and no island was in sight. 

He said, “Attack, you need to let the midfielders come down, and start passing it around.  Once you loosen them up, start cutting and score.  Keep the ball down with you as long as you can.  Fight for the ball all the way to the line.”

I was not starting on the field after halftime.

I waited on the sideline, not drinking water because it was nasty, and hot.  Coach Sherwood yelled for Coby to take a break.  I waited for him to cross the box line, and I was sprinting to my position as an attack. 

Taylor wouldn’t give up left, and I wasn’t going to ask Ethan for right, since he loved it, so, I had to take the crease position.  I knew the job, I just didn’t want it.

The ball had been on defense for what felt like years.  They had shot three times and missed!  I saw them set up for another and thought to myself, “I hope Trevor saves it.”  The pass went, but it did not make it! 

Z poked the bottom hand of their big guy,  ile he was passing it, and Alec snagged the pass and ran behind the crease. 

I thought to myself, “ Come on, all the way up the field let's score!”He threw it upfield to Carter, and Carter completed the pass.  Carter spun past a midfielder, and chugged on, up the field.  He got to the restraining line and slowed down.

“I’ve got your help!” I shouted with excitement.  I saw his lacrosse stick flick.  I didn’t need to know where the pass was going . . . I could already feel it in my pocket.  There was no defender on me, since he had gone after Carter, so I turned, dropped my top hand down the shaft, dug my cleats into the soft, mid morning, spring mud, and shot a couple feet out from the crease.  You know how sometimes, things seem to go slo mo?  Yea, thats what happend.  The ball traveled through the air like, well, something in syrup.  Then, no more syrup.  The ball traveled towards the goalies left shin, and went in. 

“Yes! Yes yes yes,” I thought with excitement, “ I finally scored!” I know my face was grinning, and so was the rest of the teams. 

The ref took the ball from the goalie, and re set the ball for the face off.  We won the faceoff!  The ball came straight to me and, well, 3-3.  I scored again, this time, not such a nice shot but the little orb of white was in the back of the net, and the goalie looked as if someone had slapped him.

In conclusion, It is now much more clear that teamwork is always better than trying to do something on your own.  Zack ended up winning the game with a fast break.  Coach Sherwood still gave us push ups, and laps.  I guess we’ll never get out of those, but we played as a team, and that's what matters.