CHAPTER ONE Pass or Fail Pass Pass calls Aiden He sees an opening and sprints from midfield toward the goal Enzo beats a defender down the right line Aiden is open for about five more strides Pass Pass calls Aiden again He anticipates the next few seconds and they play out exactly as he imagines It’s like he knows what will happen He sees Enzo cut in toward the goal There is only one defender between them Aiden knows that the defender has to decide attack Enzo or hedge his bets until help arrives Enzo picks up the pace The defender moves in Aiden is completely open for three full 4
seconds Enzo glances at his teammate and then his eyes flash as he takes the challenge and dribbles toward the defenseman Aiden sees Enzo make a quick fake to the left and taps back to the right foot He knows Enzo will keep the ball and take the shot He can see the goalie shifting into place and making the save He just can’t do anything about it Enzo does send off a strong shot but the goalie is now in a good position and snatches the ball out of the air Aiden’s eyes flash in Enzo’s direction He never passes thinks Aiden Never He pulls his attention back to the game and runs to defend At halftime the score is 0-0 The team huddles around Coach Williams We had some good drives and their defense isn’t that strong so we should be leading at this point 5
What can we do to take control during the second half Aiden glances at Enzo We have to look for the pass especially if someone is wide open shot says Enzo says Aiden If you’re talking about me I made a great If it were so great it would have gone in Coach Williams cuts in Sometimes we make decisions during the match and we could have made better ones That’s part of the game The main thing is that we’re looking for the best play all the time He looks to Aiden Keep finding those openings The whistle blows and it’s time for the second half kickoff Aiden is frustrated because the first twenty minutes are a dull defensive passing game from both sides He and Enzo have barely even touched the ball 6
Suddenly Kai makes a tackle at midfield He the ball forward to Aiden who is shoots on the move Pass Pass Enzo calls out to Aiden Now the tables are turned Aiden glances to his right fakes the pass and drives past one defender Ben runs full tilt up the left side Aiden spies a defender running in Ben’s direction That defender has been a nuisance the whole match keeping the left side shut down whenever they play to his side Aiden has to decide Three scenarios race through his mind One Pass to Ben who has struggled all match to find space Two Take the shot himself Three Pass to Enzo who is arrogant and irritating And who has the best shot at scoring As the defender closes in on him the stakes 7
