Jayden kicked the ball as hard as he could. It sailed toward the goal, curved to the left, and—SCORE! His team was now winning 2-1 with only five minutes left in the game.
On the sidelines, Jayden's mom clapped and cheered. "That's my boy!" she yelled proudly. She had been nervous all game, but now she felt so relieved. All those early morning practices had paid off!
The coach, Mr. Torres, watched calmly from the bench. He was pleased with the goal, but he knew the game wasn't over yet. "Stay focused!" he called out to his players. "Defense, protect that lead!"
Meanwhile, Jayden's teammate Marcus felt frustrated. He had been open near the goal, but Jayden hadn't passed to him. "I could have scored too," Marcus thought. "He never passes to anyone."
As the final whistle blew, Jayden ran to his mom with a huge smile. "Did you see that goal?" he asked excitedly.
"I saw everything!" his mom replied, hugging him tight. "I'm so proud of you!"
Marcus picked up his water bottle and walked to his dad's car without saying goodbye to anyone. He was already thinking about what he would say to the coach at the next practice.