I get out of the car ten blocks away from my house at Hamilton Soccer Field, really excited to see my amazing teammates. I get out of the car. Freezing, I run around the small patch of grass that is next to the entrance. It’s muddy and wet. They’re all kicking a ball against the fence and chatting. They wave to me and I wave back and run to the field ready to play soccer. I  love playing soccer with my teammates because we stick together in good and bad times.

My soccer team, the Lions, and I win together and lose together. In 2018 we were at the Marin County Tournament. We had won all our games that day and we were playing the finals at 7:00 p.m. I was so cold and, yet, sweat was dripping down my face. I was tired. The sky was pitch black. I was playing right defense. The game was so close to being over. The score was 1-0, my team. One of the players was running down the field towards our goal. She moved into the goalie box and somehow I slide tackled her. She fell to the floor. Then, since it was in the box, it was a penalty kick and they scored. I felt so bad for her and for my team. I knew that it was all my fault. But it was all an accident. I would never slide tackle someone on purpose. As I pushed through the rest of that challenging game, I remembered the words of World Cup champion Alex Morgan, Always work hard, never give up, and fight until the end because it’s never really over until the whistle blows.” I love soccer even though things like that happen.

I use what I learn in sports both on and off the field. I have learned how to make friends. I am now a little better at it and yet there is lots of places for me to improve. At first, soccer was making me have to be with new people so I had to get to know them. Later we became friends and now I’m happy I’m stuck on a team with them. Any team practice, game or tournament I have ever done with people I didn’t know made me better at making friends.

I’m also learning how to be more deliberate. In soccer it looks like me giving accurate passes and at home that looks like not rushing through things and taking my time. Like going slowly through homework. My grandma is always telling me to go slower and take my time. Me and my team learn and practice tricks in games and in practices. Then, I go home and work on them with my family. My teammates and I are so close as friends and we text each other a lot. I will never forget them and we will be friends forever.

We’re always there for eachother. This is true when one of us feels like we messed up, like missing the winning shot or letting the winning goal go by. We are also there for eachother when someone has an awesome goal, pass, or block. I remember In a tournament the score was tied 0-0. We were all so tired and yet we knew we could beat this team. There was a hand ball in the other teams goal and we got a penalty kick. Our hearts were pounding and we were sweating to death. Kendle, one of my teammates, took five steps back. Everybody froze and nobody talked. She made the ball fly straight into the goal. We were all right there waiting to hug her and congratulate her.

After all of our wins and losses together we really are amazing friends. I believe in these words from Alex Morgan: “Really get to know and establish relationships with your teammates because they are your new family and they will be the ones there for you when anything goes wrong.” We’ll stick together and, like Alex Morgan, said my team and I will be there for each other when things go wrong and in good and bad times. With a perspective, I’m Brennan.