Chapter 6: Chapter 6

“That was epic, that was phenomenal, that was sensational, and one of the most incredible things I’ve seen in my life!” screamed Sam jumping up and down with Marissa.

“The entire substitutes bench jumped from their seats with Kevin along with the coach rushing forward to congratulate Shane.

After meeting Shane on the touchline, Kevin hugged and said: “I just knew you had it in you, you really could do it!”

“He sure could!” agreed Oliver Peabody giving Shane a high-five and a good pat on the back.

“Thanks, guys, I can’t thank you enough for believing in me, and I just want to thank you for pushing me to practice my corner-kicks! You were right, Oliver. Riverside High really could concede late in the game like they’re potentially known for! Thanks for the help, buddy! ” said Shane humbly.

“No problem, just glad we could have made it this far!” said Oliver graciously.

A few moments later, the referee blew his whistle for extra time.

“And the referee blows his whistle for extra time folks, after the moment of sheer brilliance we have just witnessed, I think the players most of all will be grateful to have a few moments of rest they can enjoy!” said the commentator as extra time were to begin in a few moments.

“Yay, this is so exciting, Shane is performing so brilliantly, and this is like the best football match I’ve ever seen!” said Marissa jumping giddily.

“It is awesome being able to watch this match!” said Sam, enthusiastic.

The players were resting on the pitch drinking water and other fluids before the start of extra time.

“Congratulations, bro, that was an awesome move there!” said the Riverside High captain Peter Crown coming forward and congratulating Shane on his terrific display.

“Yeah, that was amazing! I stood no chance in saving that one!” said their goalkeeper Joe Cross whom Shane had just beaten and Sergio Munez who accompanied him.

Although they had just conceded, they were very courteous and had come forward to congratulate Shane.

“Thanks, guys! Best of luck out there to you on the pitch in extra time!” said Shane courteously.

“To you too!” the three of them said before joining their team in developing a strategy on how to win this match.

“Well, it looks like someone’s getting recognition for their performances!” said Kevin joining Shane.

“Thankfully, yeah. But I’m just hoping to gain victory and progress to the next round of the tournament!” said Shane modestly.

“And get the man of the match accolade and that scholarship to Manchester University!” reminded Kevin.

“Yeah, that too! That too!” said Shane letting out a small smile.

The referee soon blew his whistle for extra time, and soon the match was underway once more with both teams needing to score at least one goal more than the opposing team; otherwise, the outcome would be decided on penalties.

“And we are back underway here folks with both teams looking to score the winning goal for their teams and advance to the semi-final stage of this season’s Inter-State High School Tournament!” said the commentator as the first period of extra-time had just gone underway.

Kevin very soon received some fantastic news from their coach, who had told him to warm up and that he would be stepping on the pitch for the exhausted Ryan Buckle.

“Oh, boy!” exclaimed Kevin thrilled with the anticipation of stepping onto the pitch for this fixture.

As soon as extra-time started, Kevin James made his way on the pitch for another teammate Ryan Buckle.

“And just as extra time starts, Aberdeen High has made a switch here with Ryan Buckle to come off and Kevin James to come on! This young lad will play an entire thirty minutes in today’s game this evening!” said the commentator as Kevin came on. He was met with a warm round of applause from the Aberdeen High supporters.

“Yay! Kevin’s come on!” said Sam thrilled as she saw him coming on.

Marissa smiled sweetly, observing her friend, how excited she would get when Kevin would come on the pitch.

As soon as extra time started, Aberdeen High first slowly focused on passing to each other in midfield, then afterward, they quickly went into the attack. They charged down both flanks hoping to cause trouble for the Riverside High defense, but every attempt of theirs was kept out by the Riverside High defense, who did not even let them enter their box!

“And it looks like Aberdeen High are giving it their all here folks, they’re running around all over the Riverside High end of the field, but they just can’t enter the box and shoot. They’re just not afforded any space by the Riverside High defense who have proven to be too much for them!” said the commentator remarking the excellent performance of the Riverside High defense.

Again afterward, the tempo of the game slowed down with Aberdeen High maintaining possession but instead chose to pass within their half rather than attack. A significant reason for this was also that they were super exhausted and just didn’t have more energy left within them even to want to go after the Riverside High goal.

The referee blew his whistle for half-time of extra-time. The players on the pitch lay down on the ground in a tedious manner, drinking as many fluids as possible.

“And the referee blows for half-time of extra-time folks! Both sides look exhausted from this one! Let’s just hope the second period turns out to be more entertaining than the first!” said the commentator after the first period of extra time was over with.

“I hope they pick up the pace a little bit!” said Marissa, who wanted to see some more entertaining action.

“I want to see some too, but just remember, all twenty-two players on the pitch are practically exhausted out there!” said Sam reminding.

“Dude, how are you feeling?” asked Kevin, concerned sipping a bottle of water.

“After playing a hundred and five minutes of football, I’m a little exhausted right now!” answered Shane sipping apple juice.

“Just remember, if we win, it’ll all be worth it! You’ll ask Marissa out, that scholarship you’re after….everything will be within your reach if we can progress to the semi-finals!” reminded Kevin.

“Yeah! A lot’s at stake!” agreed Shane.

“And it’s now time for the second half folks with both teams looking tired and exhausted! They’ve given it their all this evening and will be hoping to progress to the semi-finals of the Inter-State High School Tournament!” said the commentator as the second period of extra time was just about to commence.

“Best of luck, dude!” said Kevin slapping Shane’s back as he headed towards his side’s goal to secure.

“Thanks! And to you too!” said Shane.

“Alright, men, let’s give it our all, and we can progress to the next round!” said Oliver getting his team behind him in their pursuit of qualification to the next round.

“And we are underway as the referee blows the whistle for the second period of extra time!” said the commentator as the second-half of extra-time was underway.

“I hope the second half is more entertaining than the first!” said Marissa optimistically.

“Me too! I hope our friends Shane and Kevin can have a night to remember after tonight!” said Sam optimistic as well.

As soon as the second period of extra time was underway, Riverside High maintained possession within themselves after their kick-off. Their strategy was to run out the clock and sustain possession within themselves slowly. They wouldn’t go forward and attack, instead just pass to each other within their half and avoid giving the ball away to Aberdeen High.

“Don’t let your guard down for even a second!” said Oliver warning his teammates because by now, they had realized just how unpredictable Riverside High really could be.

“And it looks like Riverside High are just running down the clock here, folks! They haven’t gone forward once after the start of the second half of extra time! They’ve just been passing to each other in their half from the very start!” said the commentator taking notice.

“Why aren’t they going forward! This is so boring!” said Marissa getting restless.

“Just wait and see, something interesting will happen shortly. Riverside High is very unpredictable, you know!” said Sam keeping calm.

Sam was right, for, in the One hundred and fifteenth minute, just five minutes shy of the full time of extra time, Peter Crown suddenly charged forward and fooled Kevin by charging right past him. Kevin didn’t even have a chance to try and take the ball from him properly. That’s how stunned and helpless Kevin felt! Peter Crown kept on marching forward with his players beside him. He had made his run dribbling and dodging past the Aberdeen High defense and curling across to his teammate Sergio Munez. Sergio struck a powerful header towards the goal. Fortunately for Shane, he managed to get a hold of it since Sergio’s shot, although on target, came directly at him.

“And Riverside High again catch Aberdeen High off guard here folks! Their captain Peter Crown out of nowhere charging forward and surprising Kevin James, whom he passed by as if he wasn’t even there! He’s run past the Aberdeen High defense, and straight towards goal where he curled a cross to his teammate Sergio Munez who had struck for goal with his head, Fortunately for Aberdeen High, their keeper Shane Foster had managed to hold onto the ball after it came straight at him!” said the commentator after that sudden surprise attack by Riverside High.

“Well, you got your wish! Some entertainment at last! And what did I say? They’re very unpredictable, aren’t they?” said Sam, who was indirectly saying I told you so!

“I know, but I wish it wouldn’t be like this! Not a surprise attack like this!” said Marissa stunned.

“At least Shane gets another save out of this one!” she continued pleased with Shane’s performance.

“You okay there, buddy?” asked Oliver as he and Kevin came to check up on Shane.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just wish they wouldn’t catch us off-guard like that!” said Shane.

“Well, we could always just run down the clock and take this to penalties!” said Kevin jokingly.

“Hey, that’s not such a bad idea!” blurted Oliver having an idea.

“But if it’s okay with you, Shane?” continued Oliver.

“Wait! I was just joking! You’re not seriously thinking of taking this to penalties, are you?” said Kevin astounded by Oliver’s sudden idea.

“Yes, I am! Taking this to penalties may not be such a bad idea after all!” said Oliver getting serious.

“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea after all!” said Shane, all of a sudden.

He continued, “I mean, we have been practicing taking spot-kicks in training; why not test our training out here!”

“Attaboy!” said Oliver getting excited.

“Ooh, boy!” said Kevin, who wasn’t liking this idea very much.

Oliver called his teammates and told them of his plan to run out the clock and take this match to penalties.

"Alright, team, we've been practicing our spot-kicks for a while now! I'm sure if we run out the clock and take this match to penalties, we can progress to the next round! So let's quick pass to each other in our half and take this to penalties!" instructed Oliver to his teammates.

"Whatever you say so!" said Benjamin Cross, following Oliver's instructions.

Aberdeen High passed to each other within their half looking to draw out the clock. Their supporters thought they were going to go for an attack, but they only seemed to be running down the clock.

It was not until the One hundred and twentieth minute that everyone took notice of Aberdeen High's strategy to run down the clock and take the match to a penalty shoot-out.

"And we are approaching the second and final minute of stoppage time in extra time here. It looks like Aberdeen High is purposely running down the clock as if they Want to take this to penalties! It's only a matter of seconds till the referee blows his whistle for full time and consequently, for the penalty shoot-out to decide who will progress to the semi-final stage of the Inter-State High School Tournament!" said the commentator remarking on the strategy implemented by Aberdeen High.

"They're up to something!" said Peter Crown warning his players.

"Why are they taking this to penalties! Don't they know they're going to incur a huge risk!" questioned Marissa.

"Let's just hope whatever they're doing helps the team progress!" said Sam.

The referee finally blew his whistle for full-time, meaning a penalty shoot-out was to follow immediately.

"And the referee blows his whistle for full-time folks! It looks like Aberdeen High and Riverside High will have to settle this via a penalty shoot-out! Things are about to get very interesting!" said the commentator as both teams gathered their respective players to discuss their strategy on taking the penalty shoot-out.

"And remember, just do exactly what we did in training. Stick to our training performances, and everything will hopefully go just fine!" said the Aberdeen High coach giving orders to his players on how they were to take their penalty shoot-out.

"Hey, I'll go first!" said Oliver stepping forward to take the first penalty after his side had won the coin toss to decide who makes the early penalty.

"Good luck Oliver!" said Kevin as he and the rest of his team watched from the back as Oliver went forward to try and convert from the spot.

"And it looks like Oliver Peabody is stepping up first to take the penalty for Aberdeen High!" said the commentator as Oliver placed the ball in the middle of the box to make his run and take the penalty.

"This is so nerve-wracking!" said Marissa as she and Sam observed from the cheerleading section.

Everyone observed in silence as Oliver made his run quickly, calmly and coolly, and slotted home an excellent finish that went into the bottom left right corner sending Joe Cross the other way.

"And Aberdeen High have struck their first penalty successfully!" said the commentator as Aberdeen High supporters were thrilled at the spectacle at hand.

"Yay! We scored!" said Marissa, thrilled.

"And on comes Peter Crown, the captain of Riverside High to try and successfully convert this penalty for his team as well!" said the commentator as Peter was making his run.

Peter charged forward with a lot of focus and pace as he took his penalty. He struck the ball with a lot of power and aiming for height, sending it straight into the top right corner of the net, giving Shane no chance ever to stop that one!

The Riverside High supporters and cheerleaders cheered Riverside High on after that!

"And Peter Crown lashes that one rocketing towards the top right corner folks as he strikes that one with force and accuracy and leaves Shane Foster with no chance of ever getting to that one! Well taken penalty!" said the commentator after the score was one-all on penalties.

"Ooh, Shane!" said both Marissa and Kevin at the same time as they saw Peter Crown put that one beyond Shane.

Shane was a little shaken after conceding that rocket of a penalty but quickly got up to his feet and stood on the sidelines of the goal to patiently watch Benjamin Cross take the penalty for Aberdeen High.

"And Benjamin Cross comes forward to take the penalty for Aberdeen High folks! He'll be looking to put this one past Joe Cross, for his team need him to do so!" said the commentator as Benjamin made his run towards the spot-kick.

Benjamin made his run and very cleverly and skillfully decided on chipping the ball straight in front of goal. He fooled Joe Cross by sending him to his right, leaving the middle exposed. It was two-one to Aberdeen High!

The supporters and cheerleaders of Aberdeen High were cheering Aberdeen High to the best of ways they possibly could after that!

"And Cross beats Cross folks! A clever and skillful chip from Benjamin Cross has sent Joe Cross the wrong way, and that puts Aberdeen High two-one up on penalties!" said the commentator.

"Come on, guys!" said Marissa nervously, having put her pom-poms down and slowly starting to bite her nails.

"And on steps Sergio Munez for Riverside High folks, he'll be looking to level his team up on penalties right away!" said the commentator as Sergio had placed the ball in the middle of the box to take his penalty.

Shane looked on with tremendous focus, hoping to save this one. He did not take his eyes off the ball after it was placed.

Sergio made his run very calmly, and all of a sudden, struck the ball with a lot of power and precision, sending it into the bottom left corner. Shane guessed right but could only get his fingertips to it since the ball went into the back of the net with so much power and pace.

"And although Shane Foster correctly guesses that one, it's gone past him! He could only get his fingertips to it! He's going to wish he did better on that one!" said the commentator after the Riverside High supporters were chanting Sergio after his successfully converted penalty.

"Poor Shane, he just missed that one!" said Marissa looking on feeling sympathetic for Shane.

"Let's hope he does better next time!" said Sam feeling optimistic.

"Aww man Shane!" said Kevin as he was making his way to the box to try and take the penalty.

Shane signaled to Kevin's thumbs up for good luck as Kevin was placing the ball for himself to take the penalty with.

"And Kevin James, the substitute who came on in extra time, is stepping forward to take the penalty for Aberdeen High! He must be feeling the pressure for his team. Hopefully, he'll keep his nerves and convert successfully from the spot! If he scores, the score is three-two to Aberdeen High's favor!" said the commentator just as Shane was about to make his run.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Kevin's about to take his penalty! I hope he scores!" said Sam with a lot of anxiety.

"This is indeed nerve-wracking!" said Marissa in agreement.

"Good Luck, Kevin!" whispered Shane looking on as Kevin made his run to take the penalty.

Kevin ran towards the center of the goal. He was about to strike the ball with his right foot, but just before he was about to take the shot, he stopped and waited to see which way the goalkeeper was going to dive. Lucky for him, Peter Cross had already dived to his right and Shane's left, before Shane made any contact with the ball. All Shane had to do after that was hit it to his left and Peter Cross's right into an empty goal. The score was three-two to Aberdeen High's favor!

"And Kevin James successfully converts from the spot ladies and gentlemen! He waits for the goalkeeper to make his move and then shoots the other way! What a clever strategy in a nerve-wrecking situation such as this one! It seems as if he felt absolutely no pressure whatsoever on his shoulders when coming forward to take this one!" said the commentator as the Aberdeen High supporters were cheering their team onto a monstrous level now.

"Yesss, he did it! He successfully scored from the penalty!" said Sam feeling thrilled and grateful.

"I'm grateful too that he scored!" said Marissa putting her arm on Sam's shoulder.

"Way to go, bro!" said Shane congratulating Kevin as they hugged each other.

"Thanks, and best of luck to you out there as well! Don't worry, you'll get them; I know you will!" said Kevin confidently believing in Shane as Shane stepped forth again in the six-yard box to try and save a penalty from Riverside High.

Kevin headed back to his teammates, and they congratulated him on his fine penalty.

"And it looks like Peter Cross, the Riverside High keeper himself, is coming forward to try and score from the spot! It looks like it's going to be goalie versus goalie in this one!" said the commentator taking notice as Peter had placed the ball.

"Oh my gosh! goalie versus goalie!" said Marissa as she looked on in a state of nervous tension.

"This should be very interesting!" said Sam as she looked on.

"Hey, I know!" said Marissa, suddenly having an idea.

"Come on, girls, we're going to give Shane a very special cheer to cheer him on!" she said, leading her cheerleading team to cheer for Shane.

"Gimme a G

Gimme an O

Gimme an S

Gimme an H

Gimme an A

Gimme an N

Gimme an E

Gimme a G

Gimme an O

Gimme a G

Gimme an O

Gimme another O

Gimme a D

Gimme a K

Gimme an E

Gimme another E

Gimme a P

Gimme an E

Gimme an R

Go Shane! Go Good Keeper! Go Good Keeper of Aberdeen High!" said Marissa leading the cheer for her cheerleading team. She hoped to pump Shane up after this one.

"And it looks like these girls are doing all they can to get behind Shane Foster and give him a special cheer to enhance his performance so he can win this for them!" said the commentator taking notice.

Shane looked on and thought, "Aww, man Marissa! This one's for you!" And with that, he had in him a newfound resurgence from which he just couldn't let Marissa down!

Peter Cross came charging forward to take his penalty. He went as quickly as his legs could carry him. Shane did not dive before neither did he take his eyes off of the ball for even a moment. Just as Peter was about to kick the ball, he stopped and waited for Shane to make his move. Fortunately for Shane, since he didn't make any quick movements before Peter had finished his run-up and since he didn't take his eyes off the ball, Shane stood perfectly still and waited for Peter to make his move.

Since Peter waited until the very last second for Shane to move and since he didn't, it left Peter exposed as to where he would strike his shot.

Peter was nervous after that and with a lot of force, shot to his right and Shane's left. Shane quickly dove to parry that away. In the end, it was an easy save for Shane to make and one which put Aberdeen High ahead on penalties!

"And Aberdeen High are leading three-two on penalties here folks! Peter Cross trying to do the same thing Kevin James attempted to do some moments back! It went horribly wrong for him though since Shane Foster did not dare move from his place and he allowed Peter Cross to expose himself where he would hit it! In the end, it's a comfortable save for Shane Foster! It looks like these girls really did have an effect on him!" said the commentator as the Aberdeen High supporters and cheerleaders below him in the stands were ecstatically cheering Aberdeen High and Shane on.

"Yay, Shane did it! He saved the penalty! Our keeper beats their keeper!" said Marissa, giddy with joy.

"He should thank you and all of our cheering!" said Sam.

"I just hope he appreciates it and saves the next one as well!" said Marissa modestly.

"Way to go dude!" shouted Oliver to Shane from the far distance.

Shane signaled a high-five to him.

Then, it was Shane himself who came up to take the penalty kick for Aberdeen High.

"What's this? After just beating Peter Cross a moment ago, it seems Shane Foster is in a kind of mood to do it again here! He's placing the ball in the middle of the box and looks set to take the penalty himself! If he scores this one and saves the next one, then Aberdeen High will win this four-two on penalties!" said the commentator remarking from above the stands.

"Oh my gosh! This is even more nerve-wracking!" said Marissa, who watched anxiously as Shane prepared to make his run to try and convert the penalty.

This time Sam smiled and placed her arm on Marissa's shoulder.

"Just be focused and feel no pressure!" thought Kevin as he nervously watched Shane making the run to convert his penalty.

Shane had come with a lot of paces and struck his penalty with a lot of power straight towards the roof of the net. He executed it so well, and with so much energy that it went right above, Peter Cross and Peter did not even have any time to respond to it appropriately! That's how fast it was going!

"And Shane Foster delivers a tremendously fast penalty that goes heading straight to the roof of the net! No chance at all for Peter Cross to save that one! If Shane Foster can save the next penalty just like he did with the previous one, then Aberdeen High will progress to the semi-finals of this competition winning four-two on penalties!" said the commentator with a lot of excitement as Shane successfully converted his penalty.

The supporters of Aberdeen High chanted "Our Good Keeper" to Shane as they were now leading four-two on penalties.

"Hip hip hooray! Shane scores from the spot! I knew he would do it!" said Marissa, full of excitement.

"That was a lightning bolt of a penalty!" remarked Sam.

"I'm just glad it went in!" said Marissa gratefully.

"Way to go dude!" whispered Kevin as he saw the relief on Shane's face after that successfully converted the penalty.

"And it looks like Shinji Parker comes forward to take this penalty for Riverside High! He's bearing a lot of pressure on his shoulders, he'll be hoping not to fold under it!" said the commentator as the short heightened, quick Asian Riverside High teammate was placing the ball for himself to take the penalty with.

He placed the ball and had a log of nervousness written all over his face. He was feeling a lot of pressure taking this penalty for his team.

“Come on, Shane, please just save this one last penalty!” said Marissa in a low voice anxiously looking on.

“This one’s for you, Marissa!” thought Shane as he stood confidently to try and save the penalty.

“Come on, dude! You can do it!” thought Shane, as Shinji Parker made his run-up.

“Can he keep his nerves and convert from the spot?” said the commentator as Shinji was just about to hit it.

Shinji felt so much pressure that he made his run-up as fast as he could and closed his eyes, unleashing a powerful strike that went just wide off the target! He hit it to his left, and although Shane correctly guessed, he didn’t even have to jump for it since Shinji had hit it wide off the target! Aberdeen High progressed to the semi-finals of the Inter-State High School Tournament, winning four-two on penalties!

“No, he can’t find it folks! He misses it as he shoots wide off of the target! Although Shane Foster guesses correctly, he didn’t even need to dive, because he missed it completely! I guess that’s what happens folks when you fold under pressure! Aberdeen High, on the other hand, will be looking to benefit from this one as they go four-two on penalties!” said the commentator as Aberdeen High team players were thrilled and ecstatic after their victory.

The Aberdeen High supporters were cheering their team on after a dramatic and hard-fought victory, and they did progress to the semi-finals!

“Yay! I knew they could do it! And Shane even guessed the right way!” said Marissa thrilled and overjoyed.

“Our boys played well, and both Kevin and Shane put in a remarkable performance tonight!” said Sam celebrating.

Shane couldn’t believe his luck, and he was in a state of extreme joy and excitement after that.

But just as he was headed towards his teammates to celebrate, he noticed that Shinji, after having missed his penalty, seemed to feel down in the dumps and wasn’t looking like in the best of spirits. In fact, he had knelt down and broken into tears after it was his penalty that cost his team the chance to progress!

Shane quickly came to him and picked him up, saying, “You played fantastic throughout the match! Don’t get disheartened; these things happen! Just play better in college and give yourself a round of applause, because you deserve it!”

“Thanks, that means a lot, Sob!” said Shinji hugging him after he appreciated Shane’s sportsman behavior.

“Well, It looks like Shane Foster is bursting with sportsman spirit within him! Truly a worthy display from both players of both teams!” said the commentator as the supporters of both sides gave a round of applause for the two of them and their excellent conduct!

“He never fails to amaze me!” said Marissa smiling sweetly at Shane.

“He is a remarkable individual, indeed!” said Sam acknowledging.

Oliver, Shane, Benjamin, and Kevin were congratulated by the Riverside High players for their noteworthy performance. “You guys played fantastically, make us proud and win the competition!” said Peter Crown, congratulating them.

“Thanks, and we’ll do our level best!” said Oliver humbly.

“And you played great as well!” said Shane to Joe Cross.

“Thanks, although you beat me twice, I still want you to win that final and win the tournament!” said Joe shaking Shane’s hand.

“Thank you, and I’ll do my level best!” said Shane humbly.

“Well, that’s it for this evening folks, join us next time next week when Aberdeen High take on Crystal High in next Saturday evening’s semi-final clash! Till then, good-bye and see you all next time!” said the commentator drawing the evening to a close.

The college scout in the stands closely looked at Shane, and he was thoroughly impressed by Shane’s character and performance.

The teams headed for their dressing room after leaving the pitch.

“That was an amazing night!” said Kevin inside the dressing room.

“Sure was! I’m proud of all of you guys for putting in your all tonight and Shane, and extra credit goes to you! Man of the match for today’s game without a doubt!” said Oliver thanking his players for their performance that evening.

“Thanks and everyone deserves credit! It was a group effort, and thanks for the extra practice on corner kicks and the emphasis laid on them conceding late on in the game!” said Shane modestly.

Afterward, once Shane was out of his dressing room, he received the man of the match accolade and was asked by a reporter, “How does it feel to be the man of the match after the terrific display you had put in for your team tonight?”