Today was the big day. Wesleyan’s arch rival school Doane was playing the women’s soccer team today-at home. Tensions were high and endorphins were wild. I walked up to the Weary Center and grabbed the door with my sweaty palms. I had been part of big games before but this one was different. As I get closer to the locker room I can hear a lot of noise coming from inside. Our boom box is cranked up as high as it can go to match the enthusiasm all of us had for the game.
The locker room is insane. Girls are putting on the uniform, some are dancing and some are kicking a soccer ball around. Some are laughing and having a good time, others have complete looks of concentration on their faces. The smell of old soccer gear mixed with perfume fills the room. I get greeted as soon as I walk in but then immediately join them in getting ready.
We get all settled in and the coach comes in for her pre-game speech. We all come in close and sit in a circle around her paying real close attention. She looks nervous. Excited nervous though. She’s ready for us to play and ready for us to do what we know we can do. She scribbles all over the dry erase board our starting line up and then draws a big number 17 with an “x” through it. That girl is to not touch the ball.
We march out on the field to our warm up song and before we know it the game in underway. The smell of rain is in the air but it’s the absolute perfect weather for a soccer game. At least we though it was the perfect weather. A flash of light followed by a loud boom streaked across the sky and decided for us that this game, and Doane’s fate, would be decided another day.