It was the last time that I would ever step on a soccer field. There were 10 minutes on the clock before the start of the state championship game, and I was overwhelmed with emotions. Part of me felt nervous because I knew this was the last time that I would be announced “Senior Captain Lyra Hasting.” This would also be the last time I was wearing jersey #6.
The closer it came to announcing the teams, the more I started to relax. I knew that soccer is a mental game, and if I psyched myself out, I would not play to the best of my ability. In addition, I wanted to remember my last game on the field as a good memory, so I made sure to leave it all on the field. A few minutes later, they began announcing the team. First, they began with the away team, which was my team because we were the lower seed. The announcer read off the names of the reserved players before getting to the starters; it felt like forever. Soon enough, I heard the announcer yell, “Senior Captain #6 Lyra Hasting!” I ran on the field to meet the rest of my team, and we were all screaming with excitement, as this indeed was the state championship.
Once all the teams were in their positions, the referee blows the whistle, while the crowd screams with joy and pride. The 2024 state championship game for division 1 has finally begun. The first 35 minutes of the game are back and forth between the two teams. Each team has only taken 3 shots because the teams are packing it in the back, and the defenses are strong and ready for battle. However, in the 36th minute of the game, the opposing team hit a rocket shot to the top right corner of the goal, and it went in. The opposing team screamed and hugged the girl who made the shot, while our team immediately felt defeated. There was no other goal before halftime, but our coach was not pleased.
We got into a huddle, and the team was completely silent. Our coach, however, ripped into us and said, “We are the better team. You all look defeated, and you are nowhere out of this game. We are a team and family, and we are going to come out on top. We have worked harder than any team to get here, and you need to prove why we are here.” After this discussion, every girl on the team got on their feet and were ready to battle back and get a goal in the second half to tie it up before taking the lead. We wanted to be state champions more than anyone.
Two minutes into the second half, I received a cross from my outside mid and scored a goal in the top right corner. My team ran over and jumped on me, while the crowd roared; we were back in this game and ready to take the lead. However, the game remained tied until the 39th minute. Our center defender made a long pass over the top of the midfielders and forwards to our striker. She then ran onto the ball, the ball deflected off the goalie, and she kicked it again and it went in the goal. We did it. We won the state championship.
