Shot Narrative

I am on the rough turf with the ball in my hands and blue cleats in my peripheral vision. In that moment, all I could hear were the voices in my head yelling "no". My position as goalie contradicts many of my human instincts. The voices tell me not to sacrifice my body to save a shot, but I have been trained to do so. Anxiousness fills my body as I hit the ground, but relief overcomes my mind when I feel the ball inside my palms. The details of this image are a blur. I can only remember where this took place and when. The people in the image are only a vague memory, but the emotions are, oh, so real. Some moments will be forgotten, but the feelings in that moment will always be remembered.
What I do remember of this image is little, but enough to be recalled. The image was taken in August of 2013, right before my sophomore year in high school. This was my second year with the soccer club Strike FC. Like always, we played in tournaments to prepare us for the season. This specific tournament took place in Chicago, IL and we were playing Chicago Inter Soccer Homer Glen. I do not recall what the score was or who was the better team. That part of the game was
No matter how hard I try to protect myself, there is always a chance of being cleated. This fact does not scare me; it only excites me. This might make me slightly crazy, but it only makes me a better goalkeeper. Sometimes I enjoy being in anxious situations so much that they give me physical and emotional injuries. At least in this image, the opposing forward had the decency to jump over me instead of going through me; this is a rare occasion. But even if she hit me, it would have been worth it. Disappointing your teammates is the worst feeling as a keeper. One mistake could cost the game, but that game will soon not matter and there will be no memories to be recalled. But the feeling of letting your team down will haunt you for the rest of your