Hat Trick by Alex Morgan

Coach wants me to.”
    Jessi raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
    â€œIf Darby wants me to be more aggressive, I’ll be more aggressive,” I said.
    â€œYou mean, like pushing and shoving on the field?” Jessi asked.
    â€œNo. But I can be more aggressive about going after the ball. I can show Coach I really want to play and score,” I said. I was not going to sit on the bench again next game. No way.
    As we got in line to warm up, I saw a group of girls walking onto the field in yellow scrimmage jerseys.
    â€œWe’re scrimmaging with the Giraffes today,” Coach Darby announced. “Coach Perez and I are old friends, and we decided this would be a good chance to give you girls some extra practice.”
    Coach Perez was a tall, thin guy with a black crew cut and a friendly smile.
    â€œHe looks too nice to be Coach Darby’s friend,” Jessi whispered to me. I started to laugh, but then covered it up when Coach Darby marched toward us.
    â€œDevin, Jessi, midfield center,” she called out, to my surprise.
    I jogged out into the midfield, grateful to get a chance to play. I knew it was only a scrimmage and didn’t count toward our standings, but it felt like a real game. I knew if I had any chance of playing in our next real game, I’d have to impress Coach Darby. So at kickoff, when one of the Giraffes came dribbling down the field toward our goal, I charged toward her like a mad bull.
    Normally I might have waited until she kicked the ball out in front of her, but she was keeping the ball pretty close to her as she dribbled. I could see the sweat on her forehead as I ran up to her, blocking her path to the goal. She banked to the right, and I moved with her, kicking the ball right out from under her feet. Then we both scrambled for it, but I got to it first.
    Jamie was open about ten feet away from me, so I swiftly kicked it to her, and she charged toward the goal with it. My heart was pounding. I had made a successful pass! This was exactly what I loved about the game—that rush you feel when you get the ball and things work out like they’re supposed to.
    Coach Darby kept me in midfield for the second quarter. I tried to steal the ball from the Giraffes every time I could.
    â€œNice job, Devin!” Coach Darby called out, and I thought maybe she was talking to some other Devin on the field. But of course, there was only me.
    Toward the end of the second quarter, one of the Giraffes dribbled the ball toward me. One of her teammates was right next to her. To get the ball I’d have to get between them.
    Normally I would have gone around them, but this time I sort of squeezed my way between them, and I felt my elbow accidentally make contact with the side of one of the Giraffes. Then I heard Coach Perez’s whistle blow. Play stopped, and he held up a yellow card. Then he pointed at me.
    â€œMe?” I asked, and he nodded.
    I jogged across the field to him, embarrassed. I felt like everybody was staring at me. I had never received a yellow card before.
    â€œThis is for elbowing your opponent,” he told me. “One more, and you’re out. Got it?”
    I felt my face heat up. Of course I hadn’t meant to elbow her. But it didn’t matter­—I had anyway. “I got it!” I promised sheepishly. And then I jogged back onto the field.
    Coach Darby came toward me, and for a second I wondered if she was angry. But instead she said, “Don’t let it get you down, Devin. It’s okay to get a yellow card once in a while. It’s a sign that you’re playing to win.”
    A sign that you’re playing to win. I wasn’t sure if I agreed with that, but in that moment she honestly made me feel better. And she kept me in for the whole game!
    The game ended in a tie, 2–2, and since it was just a scrimmage, we didn’t do any overtime. I was standing next to Kelly when the game ended, and I went