Strongest Girl I Know

It was my last season of soccer, this past year, and we were playing at Carrabec. I never liked going to Carrabec to begin with (especially for softball), and it seemed like it was always us going there instead of them coming to us. Anyway, we got ready as usual, started our warm ups and did the usual stuff we needed to do to get ready for the game. But what we didn’t know is that this game was going to be the worst one that Oak Hill Girls Soccer ever had.

I knew before the game that our team was 100% better and stronger than theirs, and I knew the end result should have ended with a win for us. Now, before anyone craps on me for being cocky, I did NOT say, “oh we’ll come out with a win for sure we are so much better”. I said we SHOULD come out with the win because we were the stronger team.

Now as the game started, we were playing down to them which was a recurring problem for us, and it ended up being a neck and neck game the whole first half when we should have been up by at least 3.

We have our halftime chat and try to get ourselves hyped up and ready to dominate the next half…but unfortunately that didn’t happen. We were still playing down to them and it was a 2-1 game on their side. It felt like such a close game with them and I didn’t like that. But what happened next will never leave my memory, ever.

The ball was kicked ahead by us toward the goal and the goalie came out charging for it. Then Madison came out of nowhere and did not give up on that ball, charging for it as well. The goalie dropped down for the ball and Maddie went tumbling over her. As I turned to start running for mid field to receive the punt, I heard the most heartbreaking scream of my entire life.

I don’t think I have ever run faster to something than I did that day running to Madison, and all she could manage to say was ‘oh my god my shin, I think it’s broken’. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to calm her down as much as I could and then the coaches arrived. She couldn’t move her leg and the poor girl was in the most uncomfortable position causing her hip to constantly be cramping as well. I moved to behind her head and tried as hard as I could to keep her breathing and calm as possible.

At this point the ambulance had been called and was on the way. The 5-10 mins they took to get there seemed to have been a half hour. While everything was going on with everyone around her I tried as best I could to keep her eyes on me and keep her constantly breathing through the pain. I didn’t want to be in the way of everyone helping her but at this point it wasn’t possible for me to just leave her. I held her hand through the whole thing until I moved for the paramedics to get her to the ambulance.

At this point a ref stopped me and started talking to me about how I did a good job and now I need to go to the rest of my team (which really made me angry because I didn’t get to say goodbye to Madison) even though that was what I was just doing.

Anyway, though I like to think I helped a friend (more like sister) that day, I don’t really know if I did or not. I hope I did though Maddie <3

After she was taken away, I went back to the girls, we did a 5 min warm up and huddled up. We decided without a doubt that we were going to win this game and that we were going to do it for her. Every assist, every goal all for her.

We stepped back out on that field and played like we never had before. I got my goal for her which should have happened sooner. We woke up and got the job done. But to this day I am pained from the win we got in that game, because we had to wait for a wake up call like that to get it done.

Madison, I am sorry that our wake up call was your injury. I am so happy that you are all healthy now. Even though we have grown up together and have always been close, I feel as though that day we got even closer if that is possible. Thank you for showing me the true meaning of the word strong, and for reminding for every future game to always come out playing hard, just like you do.

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