Represent!

Grace Chang

The tropical humidity welcomed us as we stepped out of the bus. Despite the sun hiding behind the clouds, we were drenched with sweat as we carried our bags from the bus to the hotel lobby. There, all the sports teams stood waiting for the coaches to hand us the keys to our rooms. Once the keys were distributed, our soccer girls dropped their bags in their rooms and quickly changed into game uniforms to get ready for our first match of the season. Excited and nervous, we gathered in the lobby and walked to ISKL.

When we arrived, we sat around on the benches and chatted while we leisurely put on our socks and cleats. Despite the gloomy sky, Sieon (9) shouted, “Does anyone have sunscreen?” Several girls pulled out sunscreen and raised them above their heads. We all gladly shared our sunscreen and laughed as we saw each other’s face turn white. Even in the midst of the fun, our eyes shifted left and right, in search of the opposing team. When we were ready to go, we walked to a field located near our pitch. To prepare us well for our first match of the season, we warmed up with intensity.

The time for our first match arrived quickly. We descended to the soccer field and continued our warm-up for few more minutes while the clouds shaded us from sunburn. Every player was determined and ready to play their best. Fully prepared, the girls gathered and we put our hands together. Proud to represent, we screamed at the top of our lungs, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Represent, one two three. Dalat!”

The whistle announced the start of the game. At the outset, we had most of the possession in the first half of the match. Before the whistle declared the end of the first half, we earned a corner kick. Kalia (9) delivered the corner kick as hard as she could. The ball deflected off Dael’s (10) leg and hit the back of the net. In the second half, we scored another goal, also from a corner kick. When the whistle blew to announce the end of the game, we all ran to each other and huddled. The significance of this game was not only the result but how we played together as a team. It was a tough match since it was our first game of the season, but we encouraged one another and played as a unit. Our desire to win was strong, and it played out beautifully on the field.