Fake Out by Rich Wallace Read Free Book Online

the score before you go back in, or at least stay within one goal. You two work very well together, soI’m confident that you can get us at least one more score.”
    Ben watched the action with his fists clenched, eager to get back on the field. The Wolves kept the ball for most of the first few minutes of the half, but they still weren’t passing. They never got close enough for a shot.
    “They’re leaving this side of the field wide open,” Kim said softly to Ben. “Let’s take advantage of that when we get in there.”
    “Yeah,” Ben said. He glanced over to his parents and Larry, who were standing near the sideline. Larry gave a slight wave and walked over.
    “That red-haired kid is super fast,” Larry said, “but he isn’t very good at keeping the ball close to him. He kicks it and chases it. You should be able to take it away pretty easily.”
    But just as Larry said it, that player took the ball at midfield and darted past Mark andShayna. He angled across the field and outran Erin, too.
    Now he was in a race with Darren for the ball. Darren got to it first, but all he could do was knock it out of bounds. The other kid picked it up and immediately tossed a long throw-in toward the Bobcats’ goal.
    “Grab it!” Ben shouted, hoping Omar could pick it up before anyone got to it. But the girl with the ponytail was between Omar and the ball. She fielded it with her foot and circled into the goal area.
    Ben held his breath as the red-haired kid raced toward the goal. He was wide open, and a simple pass would have meant a goal for sure. But the girl was looking to shoot it herself, and Jordan easily stole the ball and booted it ahead to Mark.
    “Great defense, Jordan!” Ben yelled. “Good hustle!”
    The Bobcats had dodged a disaster. Both teams battled hard for several more minutes but neither could mount an attack. When the ball went out of bounds behind the Bobcats’ goal, Coach Patty yelled, “Substitution!” to the referee.
    She waved at Mark and Erin to come out, and she sent Kim and Ben to the front line. Shayna shifted back to play defense. Jordan joined Kim and Ben up front.
    Ben grabbed Kim and Jordan by the elbows. “Speed,” he said firmly. “Speed and passing. Just like we’ve been doing in practice.”
    Ben had a lot of confidence in these two teammates. He knew that Mark was the strongest player on the team, and that everyone played hard. But he and Kim and Jordan seemed to have a good sense of each other. They knew where to move to be in the best position for a pass.
    Since Kim and Ben had taken a long rest, they were able to outrun their opponents at first. So the Bobcats kept control of the ball, managing a series of charges toward the goal and a couple of good shots. Kim’s first shot flew just wide of the goal, and Jordan’s was tipped aside at the last second by the goalie.
    “Keep up the pressure,” Ben said. “We’ve got them on their heels.”
    But the Wolves held their one-goal lead as the minutes ticked away. Ben took a pass from Kim near the sideline and looked around the field. Kim was covered closely and Jordan was too far away. So Ben waved his hand toward Shayna, who was hanging back on defense.
    Ben dribbled to the center of the field, then kicked the ball backward to Shayna. “We need support,” he said. “Stay up with us.”
    Shayna passed to Jordan, and Jordan passed it right back. Shayna then passed to Ben, andshe kept moving forward as Ben and Jordan sent passes back to her. Slowly the Bobcats were getting closer to the Wolves’ goal.

    Ben could tell that the Wolves were getting tired. The Bobcats’ swift passing was keeping them moving, but they weren’t getting close to the ball.
    The next time Ben got it, he faked a pass toShayna and dribbled as fast as he could along the sideline. He could see his three teammates moving toward the goal as the defenders came out to stop him.
    He was nearly to the corner and the defenders were closing in. Just before