Stonewall vs. Kale

You stand as eleven on your side of the pitch, dressed in grey, facing off against the Kale Blue.

Kickoff: A Kale winger gets the ball almost immediately after and begins dribbling down the right side of the pitch, hard touches carrying him and the ball fast. Katie is onto him, and you’re not far off, ready to take him should he beat her. He makes the reasonable play and passes back to a midfielder, but Khloe’s pivoted up and cuts in to intercept the ball.

There’s a quick jostle between the two, but Khloe ends up with the ball. She plays it up to Jack with a short pass, and the ball leaves your half. You push up, keeping a wary eye on the big midfielder.

The Kale striker is fast, and she controls the ball like it’s nobody’s business. Case in point, she beats out both Khloe and Katie with two quick touches, and all of a sudden it’s down to you to get the ball out of her feet.

She’s further in than you on the field, so you sprint at a diagonal to close the gap, aiming to cut her off with some healthy distance to the box to spare. The name on her jersey—WRIGHT–flutters as she abruptly speeds up, and for a second, it looks like she might break away from you. You put on a burst of speed, confident that you’ll get there in time, but you see the way her eye is darting towards the goal, Keegan ready to dive at a moment’s notice…

You’re not going to let it get to that point. In a moment, she’s within arm’s reach. You drive forwards and your foot connects with the ball; it spins out, crossing the sidelines.

As your teammates rush to the throw-in, you follow a short distance behind them.

“Nice clear,” the Kale striker says, her long brunette hair up in a ponytail. Sweat beads along her forehead, her skin glistening slightly in the morning light.

“Thanks, you played well too,” you say, sticking close to her. Your job for the next play is to mark the Kale striker, and as you get into position, she shoots you a disarming grin that almost makes you miss the ball coming onto the pitch.

The score is still nil-nil, but there have been a couple close calls. Half-time’s coming soon, and you’re beginning to feel a bit tired. It’s been a close match, meaning you’ve had to do quite a lot of legwork, and you lament the fact that sitting in a hospital has done a number on your physical condition—this could all be so much easier.

All of a sudden, the ball comes hurtling down your side of the pitch again. A big Kale midfielder manoeuvres around Katie, his size letting him muscle his way around her, and you keep an eye on the hot Kale striker. Khloe has pressure on the midfielder, but the striker makes a dash into open space, and your delayed reaction gives her the fraction of a second needed for the pass to complete.

She breaks away, heading straight down the side of the pitch, and you chase her heels, determined not to lose this one. She’s quick, so you push yourself harder, reaching a full-on sprint. Mars is coming up from a diagonal, and the two of you share a quick glance that communicates the play. She’s going to head up and cut the striker off, and it’ll be your job to tackle her.

But to do that, you’ll need to catch up to her first. Though she’s quick, Mars’ sudden appearance forces her to change course, and that’s all you need to close the gap. In a moment, the two of you are jostling for the ball; her momentum is killed, and you emerge with the ball, threading it by the big Kale midfielder to Khloe, who boots it on to Katie.