HAT TRICK AT SENIOR SALUTE

So last night was senior salute for soccer. All the seniors are supposed to play on Varsity and don't have to play on JV, but I played JV. AND IT WAS MY BEST GAME EVER. Right out of the gates, one of the first plays of the game, my team mate (who's another senior) passes me the ball and I get a breakaway down the field and score. I shoot it with my right cause of the positioning, which is really rare for me. I'm ambidextrous, but I use my left more often (it might be because I'm always put on the left side since I'm one of two people on the team who can use their left). BUT I SCORED. THE BALL SLID RIGHT PAST THE GOALIE. I almost had a few other chances to score that half, but it was to no avail. I almost had a breakaway from our goalbox, but I tripped. I came off the field and the coach said something about me getting a hat trick on senior salute, and I said "yea, definitely". I didn't start the next half, but subbed in, and we played a lot down at their net. I don't think the other team had any shots, to be honest. My next goal was also pretty cool. I'm really good at weaving through players (my footwork and left foot are definitely my biggest strengths) and I took the ball and weaved it through two defenders AND THE GOALIE. The goalie stepped out of net to get me, and I just went right around. After that goal, I heard someone from the other team telling the goalie not to step out, and there was a slight bit of yelling. But. It was a nice goal, hey. I don't remember which foot I shot with for that one, I believe it was my left but everything was so close and jumbled I can't remember. For my final goal, it was another breakaway. Someone might have passed to me (probably did) but I don't remember. If someone did pass, I have an idea of who it might've been. But I know that shot was taken with my left! It was a nice, low hard shot (just like my first shot). Everyone was screaming and yelling "hat trick" and I was ecstatic. Up until this point, I think I've only scored three times. And now I doubled that with one game! At this point, we were up 4 nothing (another player had scored once I'd come off in the first half) and the coach subbed me off. He said I could go warm up with varsity, cause at this point I wasn't going back in. But that was fine. I'd gotten my hat trick. I did overhear two players complaining about me on the bench (literally one person down) about how I didn't pass on the field especially to one specific person cause they were "wide open". But, I mean, I scored three goals...can't really be mad...anyway. I wasn't mad about not going back in, I knew that's what was going to happen. And it being senior night I would start varsity.

I started Varsity then, which was pretty crazy. There were two other seniors who normally play JV with me, and they said they regretted not playing and waiting for Varsity since I'd had such a good game. But, before the game we did senior salute (where the seniors walk down the field with their parents and have stuff about them announced, I'm pretty sure the forgot to announce half of mine) and then they announced the starting lineup. I got to run through the tunnel, which we make for the starters every game. It was pretty weird, but also a lot of fun. Then we all stood for national anthem on the field. It was weird being out there with most of them...I haven't played with them in so long, since they got pushed up to Varsity their freshman year and here I am, a senior, still playing JV. Not because I'm bad (I just got a hat trick) but because of favoritism. One of the other seniors told me, "hat trick JV, hat trick Varsity", and I yelled "watch me!" even though I knew I'd be taken off before I got the chance. I think everyone knew that, even everyone who was cheering me for a second hat trick. I got to do the kick off. One player on our team has a concussion, but still wanted to go onto the field for senior salute. So I passed the ball back, and it was immediately kicked out. It was awful and kind of hurt as we all ran into the center and walked our concussed player off the field. They're one of the people who have played with our little group since U10, and that would be their final steps on the field. It took like 2 minutes for everyone to get back into position after that. My mom said it was hard to watch it was so sad. But I played for a solid 7 minutes of Varsity time with the seniors. There's four of us seniors the coach never plays on Varsity, and it was nice to be out there with them. Once I was called off the field, I wasn't surprised. I knew I'd be taken off rather quickly, but hoped I wouldn't be. I thought that we'd all start the second half together again (that's what normally happens) but we were down a goal, and needed to win this game. Or, at least, that's why I think we didn't get put back in. Could've also been favoritism. But. When I was sitting on the bench watching the game, I realized that I wasn't mad I didn't get to play. They weren't my team. The JV was my team, and I was happy to be on that team. I didn't want to be on Varsity--I wanted to play with my team, and my friends, who I always had fun with. And, honestly, who played together as a coherent team better. Even if we weren't the best, we all--for the most part--tried so much harder than Varsity.