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goal had felt so bad.

4
    D own in front of the stands, the Anchors’ cheer-leaders did their best to lift the team’s spirits.
    Come on Anchors,
    Really dig in,
    Show ’em you’re the team
    That’s going to win!
    Anchors! Anchors!
    Sis! Boom! Bah!
    Anchors! Anchors!
    Hip! Hip! Hoorah!
    As play continued, Dana didn’t feel much like cheering. But he couldn’t give up now. There was too much at stake.
    The Cottoneers controlled the ball for a long time without scoring. For a while it looked as though the Anchors’ defense would
     wear them down. Anchors fullback Paul Crayton, who hadn’t seen much action in the first half, had come alive. It seemed as
     though he was everywhere now.
    “Way to go, Paul!” Dana called after a good block, which gave the Anchors control of the ball. Paul booted it out of the penalty
     area.
    Dana made a move for it, but Steve got there ahead of him. At least part of him did. The ball bounced off his right hip and
     rolled over toward Dana.
    By now, the Cottoneers were beginning to advance toward the Anchors’ right wing. He saw he wasn’t going to move very far with
     the ball. Looking around, he saw Benton, all by himself, down in the penalty area.
    Dana knew he should pass it to him. An assist that resulted in a goal was almost as good as a score. But the memory of Benton
     stealing the ball from him earlier made him hesitate.
    He waited one second too long. In that time, Cottoneers were all over Benton and the coast was no longer clear. Instead, Dana
     passed the ball to Jack,who came running up beside him, one step ahead of a Cottoneer tackler. Jack trapped the ball with his instep, then passed
     it right back to him.
    Dana was surprised by the quick return, but he took the ball, dribbled it a few feet, then got it within kicking distance
     of the goal — while a Cottoneer tackler was breathing down his neck. Suddenly their legs got tangled up with each other. The
     tackler fell and the whistle shrieked.
    “Tripping!” yelled the referee. Dana saw him pointing a stiff finger in his direction.
    He couldn’t believe it. The Cottoneer was as much at fault as he was! Still, he knew you couldn’t argue with a referee and
     win. He shook his head but kept his mouth shut.
    A free kick was called. Because the foul had occurred within the defending team’s penalty area, all players had to be outside
     the area. Dana tried to guess where the Cottoneer would aim his kick and positioned himself nearby.
    Well, at least I didn’t cost the team a goal, Dana said to himself, eyes on his opponent.
    He spoke too soon. The Cottoneer booted the ball to a teammate centerfield. The receiving playerdidn’t waste any time booting it even farther down-field toward the Anchors’ territory.
    The Cottoneers’ speedy center got behind the ball and dribbled quickly toward the goal. He faked around Pete Morris into the
     penalty area. Jazz shifted back and forth, arms spread wide, but the lanky center was too quick for him. A sharp kick sent
     the ball straight into the net.
    Cottoneers 2, Anchors 0.
    “Teamwork! Teamwork!” shouted Coach Kingsley from the bench.
    There didn’t seem to be a lot of that happening on the Anchors’ side of the field.
    “Okay, guys, heads up!” shouted Dana as the ball came into play.
    For a few minutes, it looked as though the tide might turn. Jack got the ball and dribbled it toward the goal. When the Cottoneers
     closed in on him, he passed it to Lance.
    Lance did some fancy footwork and kept the ball moving in the right direction. When he got into trouble, he passed it across
     the field to Benton.
    Benton brought the ball well within scoring range, but couldn’t seem to find an opening for agoal attempt. Dana tried to get his attention, but he couldn’t catch Benton’s eye. Instead, Benton booted the ball over to
     Steve.
    Who could argue with that? Steve was the best goal kicker on the team, after all.
    But Steve was also a real team player. Dana could see