saturday afternoon my friend called us to see if we wanted to play some soccer on their co-ed team. the team is made up of tufts dental students so we would fit right in. it's outdoor, 11 versus 11 (this is real soccer!), and the first game of the season. they were down a girl and need 4 on the field at all times. so... suddenly i become a VIP.
it has been 7 years since we played soccer, the last time was for BYU intramurals while we were dating. with some mixture of hesitation, zeal, nerves, and gusto, we decided to just go for it. we weren't sure we would actually help the team, but we were certainly up for a good time. and with the sunny weather, why not run around outside for a while? we mustered up our courage and old soccer gear, stashed under the bed and in deep dark closets, and carpooled with our buddies to the game.
i took my spot as left mid-fielder, my favorite! the whistle blew and we were off. within the first 5 minutes, i was going for the ball and suddenly this girl bounces off of me, falls to the ground, and rolls to a stop gasping for air. i didn't even see her coming and apparently i knocked the wind out of her. the whistle was blown and the other team got a free kick.
my first thought, "it's good to be back." my second thought, "oh, i'm supposed to make sure she's ok." my third thought, "well, she ran into me..." don't worry, she was fine. i said the polite remarks and she was up and running in no time - i'm not completely heartless on the field.
all in all, i would say the game was a major success. i had some good plays, some bad plays, some grass stains, whole bunch of fun, and we won!! my mistakes increased as my exhaustion increased, which is fair, since it has been quite a while, my gear is ancient, and i had to play the entire game. only four girls showed... so we were in the whole time while the boys had 3 subs. lucky dogs.
i had so much fun, i pretty much haven't stopped talking about soccer since.
i think we will join the league.
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