Fake Out by Rich Wallace Read Free Book Online Page A

they reached him, he sent a hard pass across the field, zinging over the top of the grass. Ben fell forward and landed with his hands spread out. He rolled to his side and crawled back up. He heard lots of shouting.
    What happened?
he wondered. Kim and Jordan and Shayna were leaping in front of the goal, and the Wolves goalie was staring into the net. He was staring at the ball!
    Ben raced to the cluster of Bobcats. “Who scored?” he asked, smacking hands with Jordan.
    “Kim did,” Jordan said. “Perfect pass!”
    “Couldn’t have been better,” Kim said. “Ididn’t even break stride. The ball was right where I wanted it. The goalie never had a chance.”
    “How much time?” Ben asked the referee as they ran back to midfield.
    The referee glanced at his watch. “About three minutes,” he said.
    “That’s plenty,” Ben said. “Let’s get the ball back.”
    With the score tied, both teams began to play even harder. The difference was that the Wolves kicked the ball hard and chased after it, while the Bobcats made accurate passes to each other. Ben knew that his team’s strategy
should
work better, but the Wolves had power and speed.
    Darren made a nice steal near the Bobcats’ goal, and he fed Ben a pass. The field was open in front of him.
    Just like before, Ben sprinted along thesideline with the ball, moving into the Wolves’ side of the field. A pair of defenders closed in on him, so he pivoted quickly and sent the ball back to Kim, who was trailing behind.
    The defenders chased after Kim, giving Ben a perfect chance to move to an open area near the goal. Kim passed ahead to Jordan, and Jordan made a crisp lead pass to Ben.
    Ben trapped the ball and turned toward the goal, moving up the field. Just one player blocked his path. Ben picked up his pace, dribbling the ball at full speed.
    As the Wolves defender angled toward him, Ben stepped over the ball, dodging to his left. The defender went for the fake. Ben swept the ball to the right with the outside of his foot, and now the space between him and the goal was wide open.
    After three more steps Ben found himself in front of the goalie. It was a tough angle to shoot from, but Ben shot the ball hard and the goalie left his feet, diving toward it. The ball rose past the goalie’s hands and sank deep into the net.

    The Bobcats had the lead!
    Ben circled around the goal and raced back onto the field, leaping into the air as he reached Kim. He shook his fist and opened his mouth wide. He couldn’t yell; his throat was too tight with emotion. He hadn’t even thought about those moves this time. They just happened.
    “Great passing!” he finally said.
    “Great shooting!” Kim replied.
    The last couple of minutes were a blur for Ben as he and his teammates kept the pressure on. The Wolves never even crossed midfield. The Bobcats had won another game.
    As Ben ran off the field, Loop was running on. Loop held up his hand and Ben slapped it with a high five.
    “Great game,” Loop said.
    “For once, we agree,” Ben replied, beaming.
    Ben looked around at his smiling teammates. They’d finally won two straight. Over their last five games, they were 3-1-1, as good as any team in the league. Things were definitely looking up for the Bobcats.
    They’d made it happen today. They’d played harder than they ever had, and they’d played smart.
    Best of all for Ben, he’d finally made that fake in a game.
    Larry was right—everybody has bad days and great days.
The great days make you forget about the bad ones in a hurry
, Ben thought.
We can beat any team in this league
.
    He couldn’t wait to prove that at next week’s game.

 
     
    B EN’S T OP T IPS FOR S OCCER P LAYERS
    • Practice shooting and passing the ball with the inside of your foot instead of your toes. You’ll be more accurate.
    • Keep your eye on the ball when you pass it or shoot it.
    • If you usually kick the ball with your right foot, try using your left. You’ll be harder