Mr. Hardin stepped to the table and said in his booming voice, “Girls, it’s been quite a weekend. We have a few awards to present, so let’s get started.”
He nodded to an assistant, who gathered up the medals.
“First, to the Brookville Breakers, for a game well played. We thank you for coming all the way to Canada for this exciting event.”
There were polite claps all around as the girls moved forward one by one. The assistant placed a thick red ribbon around each player’s neck. The girls looked forlornly at their second-place medals until Val crutched to the front. Parents, players, and coaches from both teams whooped and cheered her on.
“Yeah, Val!” Makena shouted above the rest.
Mr. Hardin quieted the crowd with his hands.
“Now, the Montreal Fury, champions of the Fiftieth Annual Roberts Cup!”
A scream arose from the Fury girls as they piled forward to gather their loot.
“Can we go now?” Makena whispered to her mother.
Makena’s mom shook her head.
“It’s a pleasure to present our most valuable player award,” said Mr. Hardin. From behind the table, his assistant picked up the tallest trophy Makena had ever seen. Wow, she thought. That’s huge.
“This year’s recipient led her team with six goals for the tournament, including the game-winning goal today. Miss Ava Dubois!”
Makena clapped as Ava stepped forward. Six goals in one tournament was pretty impressive, Makena thought. She hadn’t scored any. Ava beamed as she passed the trophy among her teammates. “Now, to our final award,” the director said.
Makena nudged her mother.
“Shush,” her mom said lightly.
Makena’s father gave Makena a stern look.
“This last award is the most important we give out. Any girl or boy from any age group is eligible. It’s our sportsmanship award, and this year, it goes to a player on one of the U13 teams standing here.”
A hush came over all the girls as they smiled and looked at one another. The assistant reached behind the table and struggled, trying to lift something. Finally, after some laughter, she brought out an impressive-looking trophy nearly as large as the MVP award.
The assistant handed the gigantic trophy to Mr. Hardin, who continued, “Being a star off the field is as big a part of soccer as being a star on the field. Some might say it’s an even bigger, more important part. You girls were probably not aware, but in every game, the referee takes notes on more than just the score. He or she grades each team’s players on their behavior.”
There was a murmur among the crowd of parents and coaches. The players looked at one another.
“One girl was recognized by several referees and by me. For displaying compassion for her friends and opponents, respect for the rules of the game, sportsmanship, and leadership on and off the field, this year’s award goes to Miss Makena Walsh of the Brookville Breakers. Makena, come on up here. This is for you.”
Makena’s jaw dropped as her Soccer Sisters cheered and pushed her forward. Val gave her a nudge with her crutch. Her mother kissed her cheek and wiped a tear from her face. Her father leaned forward, beaming. “You’re still grounded,” he said and winked.
• • •
Well, Papa finally got his hot dog. Turned out they had cool restaurants in Canada too. Sacha’s Superdogs wasn’t a diner, but it did have about ten pages of hot dog toppings to choose from. Even Jessie was biting into a big, fat chili dog.
“Wow, dith is pretty awthome,” she tried to say with a mouthful.
Makena nodded. “Yeah, aren’t you glad they don’t sell salads?”
Makena was thrilled the whole team could come eat together after the last game. She and her family were moving on to Niagara Falls that night, and most of the other families were making a trip of it as well. Her trophy sat in the middle of the table, hard to see with all the hot dog wrappers piling up, but Makena felt its presence. She was proud of the award and still pensive about all that had happened.
Next to the trophy sat Makena’s phone. It made a little beep, and she looked to see a text message from Chloe: Did we win?
Makena showed the phone to Val. Chloe’s text was followed by images of soccer balls and hearts.
“Did you tell her? Does she know about last night?” Val asked.
“Nope. And nope.”
“Let’s do a video call with her,” Ariana suggested.
“Oh, good idea!”
“Show her all the hot dogs!” Jessie yelled.
Makena got Chloe on the phone and walked her around the restaurant to show her all the different kinds of buns and toppings they had. Val was having a pizza dog, Makena had a taco dog, and Ariana had something called a Greek dog—no one was quite sure what that involved.
“Oh man, that looks so good,” Chloe said. “I bet Papa is going to town.”
Makena laughed. “Oh yeah, he’s on his second Superdog Supreme and could care less about seeing Niagara Falls.”
“How’s Val’s knee?” Chloe asked.
“Here, I’ll let you talk to her for a second.”
Val grabbed the phone, and the whole team listened in as she shared the update on her knee and then told Chloe about Skylar pulling the fire alarm in the hotel and getting sent home.
“Whoa,” Chloe said. “I can’t believe she would do something like that. Wait. Actually, I can. I didn’t want to say anything, but I was not a fan.”
“She got kicked off the team!” Abby shouted into the phone.
“I know you liked her, Makena, but I’m glad she’s not a part of the team anymore,” Chloe said.
Makena could see Chloe on the screen. “I did like her at first, but she sure showed me that not all soccer players are Soccer Sisters.”
The Breakers all nodded in agreement.
“That girl was just out for herself,” Val said. “Definitely not a Soccer Sister.”
“Yeah,” Ariana said. “She broke every rule in the book!”
Makena felt down into her sock. She pulled out the paper she’d been carrying there during the entire tournament. Val had started calling their rules the Code. They had worked on it during the drive to the tournament but had only written down the first few:
1) Team first.
2) Don’t be a poor sport or loser.
3) Play with each other and don’t take the fun out of it.
“What is that?” Kat asked as Makena spread the weathered piece of paper out on the table, using the trophy to hold it flat.
“It’s a thing Val and I were working on,” Makena said. “I guess it’s a code for our team.”
“A code?” Sydney asked.
Ariana looked at the paper and asked, “What, like rules to be on the team?”
“Yeah, kind of,” Makena answered. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it. Watching the way Skylar acted just made me think about what it means to be on this team and to be a true Soccer Sister. So, Val and I started writing rules down.”
“Do you guys want to write some?” Makena asked, feeling suddenly unsure.
There was a pause as the girls looked at the list. Makena searched her teammates’ eyes, scared she had made a mistake. It was Chloe who broke the silence.
“Hey! Make sure you put one about beating the boys!” Chloe yelled through the phone.
“Let me see.” Ariana good-naturedly snatched the list from Makena.
“Here, give it to me,” Sydney said, “I’ll write it. I have the best handwriting.”
“You do not have the best handwriting!” Ella yelled.
“OK, but I do have a sparkle marker.” She smiled smugly, reached over, grabbed the Code out of Ariana’s hands, and started digging in her soccer bag.
After a minute, she said, “Here, how about this one?”
M
akena peered at the growing list to see what Sydney had written.
7) Leave it on the field.
Makena smiled. They all knew that meant you played your heart out and left every ounce of your effort on the field.
“Well, we better write one about bringing snacks. Since you always forget, Ella!” Ariana teased, grabbing the paper and pen. As she turned away, she didn’t notice Jessie and Makena polishing off the last of her curly fries.
Makena’s heart swelled as they bickered, writing the rest of the rules together—rules they already knew by heart. The Soccer Sisters were her true friends, her teammates, her heart. And always would be. No matter what.
After Ariana finished writing the last rule of the Code, she finally noticed she was out of food.
“Hey, Mac! Give me the pen back,” Ariana yelled. “I need to add a rule about stealing the goalie’s fries!”
Book Club Questions and Activities
1. Why do you think Makena felt so badly during the Breakers’ game the morning after her hot tub adventure with Skylar?
2. Why did Makena go along with all of Skylar’s lies to her parents? What would you have done?
3. Should the Breakers’ coach have reprimanded Skylar more harshly after her unsportsmanlike actions in the first game? What makes someone a bad sport? A good sport?
4. What do you think is the most important lesson Makena learned from her experiences with Skylar?
5. What other rules would you include in the Soccer Sisters Team Code?
6. If this novel were a movie, which character would you want to play and why?
7. Design your own soccer ball for Makena and the rest of the Soccer Sisters to use in their next tournament.
Meet our Soccer Sisters Ambassador Brandi Chastain!
Brandi Chastain—NCAA, World Cup, and Olympics icon—is best known for her game-winning penalty kick against China in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. She also played on the team that won the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991, Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004, and the country’s first professional women’s league championship.
Chastain is currently the coach of the Bellarmine College Preparatory varsity boys’ soccer team and was a color commentator on soccer telecasts for NBC and ABC/ESPN. In addition, Chastain is an active advocate for several causes that are important to her, including safe play and the education of concussion injuries, Crohn’s disease and awareness of the illness especially in young children, as well as equal rights for women in sports.
Brandi is married to Jerry Smith, who is the women’s soccer coach at her alma mater Santa Clara University. She has one son Jaden and is also a volunteer assistant coach at Santa Clara.
Soccer Sisters Organization
Soccer Sisters aims to inspire and connect young girls and women through sports-based stories and experiences.
We are a for-profit social enterprise aimed at reaching sports-oriented young kids and women with inspiring products and experiences that give back. Our first set of products are the Soccer Sisters book series for middle grade children:
Out of Bounds
Caught Offside
One on One
To learn more about Soccer Sisters, please visit our website and our social handles:
soccersisters.com
Instagram @soccersisters.forever
facebook.com/soccersisters
Twitter @soccersisters
Part of being a Soccer Sister is giving back. Here are some great groups that are supporting soccer and girls all over the world. Check it out!
coachesacrosscontinents.org
Coaches Across Continents is a global leader in the sport for social impact movement.
goalsarmenia.org
Girls of Armenia Leadership Soccer (GOALS) empowers girls throughout the communities of Armenia, using soccer as a vehicle for change and opportunity.
oneworldplayproject.com
One World Play Project encourages the power of play all over the world.
ussoccerfoundation.org
US Soccer Foundation helps foster an active and healthy lifestyle, using soccer to cultivate critical life skills that pave the path to a better future.
fifa.com/womens-football/live-your-goals/index.html
FIFA inspires women and girls to play soccer and stay in the game.
goalsforgirls.org
Goals for Girls uses soccer to teach young women life skills on how to be agents of change in their own lives and in their communities.
Soccer Sisters Roster
BROOKVILLE BREAKERS
Makena Walsh
Valentina Flores
Chloe Gordon
Jessie Palise
Skylar Wilson
Ariana Murray
Harper Jones
Sydney Lin
Abby Rosen
Tessa Jordan
Kat Emelin
Ella Devine
Jasmine Manikas
Coach Lily James
Glossary
50/50 ball: When a player from each team tries to win a loose ball (and they each have a 50/50 chance of doing so).
Assist: When a player gets the ball to a second player, who scores as a result of the pass.
Bench: Where the substitutes sit during the game.
Box: The box that is formed when a line is drawn 18 yards out from each goalpost, along the goal line. The lines extend 18 yards into the field of play and are connected with a line that is parallel to the goal line.
Breakaway: When an offensive player is going to goal with the ball and has left all defenders behind. A rare and very exciting event!
Captain: The player or players who have been designated by the coach or team to lead and represent the team during a game. The captain is the only player allowed to speak to the referee. A captain is often given a distinctive arm band.
Caution: When the referee shows a yellow card to a player after a foul. It’s a warning or “caution” to calm down and play by the rules. A player given two yellow cards in one game is ejected from the field! You don’t want to get yellow cards.
Center circle: A circle with a ten-yard radius, drawn with the center mark as its center.
Clear: A term used by defenders to send the ball rapidly upfield. This term is yelled out by defenders to alert the defender with the ball that she has impending pressure.
Cleats: Shoes worn by soccer players. So called for the studs or cleats on the soles of the shoes that help grip the grass and prevent slipping.
Corner kick: A kick awarded to the attacking team when the ball, having last been touched by the defending team, crosses the goal line and goes out of bounds. The ball is placed in the corner, duh!
Cross: A ball that has been kicked or thrown (from a throw-in) from near the touch line toward the goal.
Crossbar: The structure of the goal that connects the two upright goalposts.
Dead ball situation: Any situation when the ball is put back into play. Sounds creepy, but isn’t.
Dive: When a player fakes being fouled and falls to the ground. Unfortunately, it happens all the time.
Dribble: Moving the ball forward with the feet (similar to basketball, but with your feet!).
Far post: The goalpost that is farthest from the ball.
Forward: An offensive player, playing closest to the opponent’s goal.
Foul: An offense against an opponent or against the spirit of the game that results in a free kick.
Free kick: A method of restarting play.
Give-and-go: Just what it sounds like: A player passes to a teammate, runs and gets the ball back from the same teammate. You “give” the ball, and then you “go.”
Goal: 1. The structure defined by two upright goal posts and one crossbar that is set on the goal line. 2. To score.
Goal kick: A kick awarded to the defensive team after the attacking team has put the ball over the defending team’s goal line. Opposite of a corner kick, the ball is placed close to the goal. Duh #2.
Golden goal: The goal in “sudden victory” overtime that wins and ends the game.
Hand ball: When a player, not the goalie, touches the ball with a hand or part of the arm.
Header: Passing, clearing, controlling, or shooting the ball with the head. This has recently been outlawed for younger kids to prevent collisions and concussions.
Juggling: A practice skill when the ball is kept in the air, using any legal part of the body.
Keepaway: A practice game where the object is for one side to retain possession rather than to score goals.
Near post: The goalpost that is nearest to the ball.
Nutmeg: When a player puts the ball through the legs of an opposing player, a player is said to have been “nutmegged” or “megged.” Don’t let this happen to you!
Offside: A player is called “offside” when she is nearer to her opponent’s goal than both the ball and the second last opponent. It’s confusing for many parents and sometimes, players and referees!
Own goal: A goal scored by a player into her own team’s net. Very sad event.
Penalty kick: A penalty kick or “PK” is when a shot is taken on goal as a result of a foul committed by the defensive team in their penalty area or “box.” All players except the goalie and the player taking the kick must be outside the penalty area when the kick is taken. Penalty kicks are also called “PK’s” or “penalties” and can also be used to decide a tied championship game. This is a very stressful, yet exciting event.
Penalty mark: Also called the penalty spot. A circular mark 9 inches in diameter made 12 yards out from the center of the goal where the ball is placed when a penalty kick is to be taken.
Red card: A red card is given to a player who has committed a serious foul or series of bad fouls during a game. A coach or even a parent, can also get “red carded” by yelling at the referee or other bad behavior. Anyone who receives a red card must immediately leave the field. A player who receives a red card can also not play in the next game and her team must continue the game down a player.
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