I’d been coaching the Mad River Lightening girls soccer team for five years.
Over that time I’d gotten pretty good at the job. But nothing prepared me for the sad day one of my girls was killed by a drunk driver. Every girl on the team felt the loss of Nicole, but no one more than her twin sister, Ashley.
In the months following the accident, soccer became a refuge. For a few hours at practice, the game took our minds off our grief. Our focus showed in our record: We made it all the way to the state junior championships against Santa Cruz.
It was pouring rain by the time the first half came to a close. The score was tied 0-0. Our girls were looking tired and out-matched against a bigger and better team. As the seconds ticked down, Ashley wound up with the ball in the corner of the field with no angle for a shot. She hooked the ball in a long lob at the goal.
A good effort, but it headed too far left to score—until a forceful gust of wind stopped the ball in the air and rocketed it into the net. The team went wild. The crowd cheered. Chills ran down my spine.
The Mad River Lightening were a more motivated group of girls than ever after our heavenly assist. We dominated the rest of the game, winning the state championship.
It just took a little help with a corner kick from the wind.
