*All+or+Nothing

It started when the ball was high above my head. We were starting the finale of the indoor soccer season. We jumped up, pumped with blood, energy, and nerves of steel. The lights felt like the sun as all the pressure was on us. I took up my position in the goal and sighed. I was the goalie only because my team mate was in New York. The pressure felt like a ton of bricks. As the referee blew the whistle to start the grand game of guts, we passed the ball to each other. The best player on my team did a rainbow over the goalie's head and scored within twenty seconds. From then we scored goals in bucketfuls from chips to headers to croyphs and when the buzzer blared for half time we were tired, but when I told my team to look up at the score board we were inspired because we were up four to nothing. Then I spat on my goalie gloves, we headed back onto the field to play the last decisive half of the game.

We started passing. Sadly, one pass got intercepted and they dribbled down the field. My defense got back to help. It was too late they took a quick shot and it bounced off the crossbar, but the referee called it a goal. I started to shout and to my amazement I saw a piece of yellow paper waved in my face. Everybody was astonished because the referee just gave me a yellow card for nothing. The crowd was sounding like a freight train because they were banging on the plexi-glass.

Then, after the kickoff they scored again and I punched the artificial turf, then they scored two more times to tie it. With three minutes left I made a save. Then I quickly jump started a counter attack and my team mates scored we celebrated like crazy. Then, with ten seconds left they scored. So during the kickoff we made a long range shot from midfield, but it just barely missed. So it went into sudden death overtime. I was living by one hair on the edge. I was relieved when the buzzer blared indicating that the first half in over time was over. I longed to get a goal before the dreaded penalty kick shoot out. Last year I lost in the third round of penalty kicks. So we walked back out there with a desperate need for a goal.

The other team kicked off and were shooting frantically. Then I got a break away and everyone was surprised. I started sprinting when the clock was counting down from ten seconds. I was at midfield when the clock was at one second so since I was a goalie I had a powerful foot. I made the shot from midfield. The buzzer blared, but the shot was on its way. Time seemed to slow down and it seemed the ball was hovering over the red line. The ball was headed too high I thought so I went to my knees. When I was putting my head down I saw out of the corner of my eye the ball drop. Now it was headed to the top corner.

The goalie jumped up and touched the ball. It was too late though. The ball entered the goal and the crowd went wild as the ball bounced out of the net. The next thing I know, I was in my team mates' hands moving up and down and I was holding the trophy. It took guts to win and I had them. I took a risk and it all paid off. It was all or nothing, but I won it all. From the outdoor season where we only won one game to indoor where we were undefeated. That is the day I will never forget.

By: Jacob