A/N: Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long. Don't worry, I have every intention to finish the story! I wanted to make one big chapter, but decided to split it into two smaller chapters, so here is the first one.
The girls walked onto the field. They were the visiting team, having been ranked the lowest of the two in the play-offs. That meant that they had to take a long trip to get here. The trip had been filled with laughter, singing and excitement. That also meant that they would not have many supporters present. It was just them this time, they would have to find support in each other.
Chloe was standing next to Dawson. The coach had convinced her to at least come and join the team before the game during warm up. She had agreed reluctantly, only because she knew Dawson could be persistent. At least she felt like she was part of the team, even when she couldn't contribute to the game.
When the rest of the girls started getting ready for the warm up, Chloe saw Beca walk over to the dug out area and drag out a large bag. She had seen Beca carry the bag before, but had not thought much of it. Now she saw Beca pull out her laptop and some extra speakers. Then the small girl nodded at Aubrey, who took the cue and gathered the girls.
When Aubrey started the warm up, Beca started the music. Chloe recognized the intro of one of her favourite songs, but it was not how she knew it. Before she could pinpoint what was different, the music flowed into a different song. Beca caught up with the group and was now running next to her.
"Chlo, this is for you," she said with a big grin.
Chloe listened to the mix flow and evolve. The music contained at least a dozen songs, most of which were among Chloe's favourites. With the music in the background, Aubrey turned up the intensity of the warm up a bit and the entire team followed. The music was still going when Aubrey called for the girls to get their sticks. Chloe took this break to talk to her girlfriend.
"Thank you so much for making this for me. And for convincing Aubrey to let you play it. How did you manage that?"
"Anything for you, Chloe. I love you," Beca responded. She wanted to explain how exactly she convinced Aubrey, but before she could do so, the blonde screamed at them from across the field.
"Hey, lovebirds. Would you be so kind to join us?"
Beca felt the nervous energy in her team. She herself hadn't been able to relax over the last week either, because this game was a big deal. For the seniors it was the last chance to prove themselves. She wanted to go out there not just for herself, but for all the other girls in her team that had become her best friends over the course of last year.
Quite a big crowd had gathered to watch the game, but none of them were wearing Barden blue. During a small break in the warming up, Beca had glanced over at the other side of the field. Their opponents were decked out in a dark red uniform with a lion on the front. The team called themselves the Red Lions, and Beca had seen some footage of previous games where they would roar during the yell. It was intimidating as hell.
They all looked tall and strong. She recognized at least a few as having played for the junior national squad. Chloe had told her about some girls that she met during her time training with the national team. She had warned the Barden girls that these opponents were nothing like they had faced before. They were stronger, faster and tougher than any of the other teams.
The only way they could beat them was by using strategy and teamwork. The Lions might be strong and tough, but they were also all competitors of each other. Beca had heard some rumours about them injuring each other in practice, just to eliminate the competition. Barden would have to work together and be a team.
The referee blew his whistle and gestured that the teams should get ready. Barden gathered at the top of the circle and Aubrey stepped forward into their midst.
"Well girls, this is it! We made it to the championship game and that is something to be proud of. We haven't had the best year, but despite everything we came through and made it here. And if we lose here today, we will still have had an amazing season."
Beca and Chloe both looked incredulous. This was not the sort of speech either would expect to come from Aubrey.
"But that's not going to happen, is it, girls?" Aubrey continued. "Because we are not finished yet. We are not going to celebrate just yet. We have one more game to win, and we are going to crush it. We are going to fight for each other. We are going to win this game as a team and we are going to take the championship back to Barden. And you know, we are going to do this all while having fun. So let's get out there and show those bitches how to play hockey!"
The girls cheered in support. They were ready to get out there and play some hockey. Beca made her way over to her position on the left, while Chloe was positioned just behind Stacie on the midfield. Behind her Aubrey looked out over the field at her players. She was extremely proud of what her team had already achieved, but deep in her heart, she craved one more thing today, and that was to win.
Aubrey had lost the toss, so the Lions started the game. Dawson had instructed the girls to hang back and play half-court first, to see how their opponents would react. She banked on them taking it easy and underestimating them. The Lions didn't take it too easy, though. They were playing high pressure right from the start. Their passes were sharp, sometimes too sharp for their own players, and they played very physical within the circle. Barden did great in defense, but still conceded a penalty corner ten minutes into the first half.
Aubrey was happy that her team was playing better than they had ever played, but it didn't seem like that would be enough to win this game. They first had to focus on stopping this penalty corner. She grabbed her extra protection and joined the girls in the goal. They didn't have to say much, because everybody knew their role.
The corner was taken quickly. The shot was low and hard, but Cynthia Rose read the shooter right and blocked the shot with a dive. Aubrey could hear Dawson cheering on the sideline. However, they still had to face the next long corner the Lions were allowed to take. This was expertly defended by Fat Amy and shot out of the circle. Stacie picked it up around midfield and started running. She had nowhere to pass, since all the girls had dropped back to defense.
She didn't come too far before she was tackled viciously. She dropped to the ground, but got up quickly. Before she could start cursing, Aubrey was already at her side and walking towards the ref. She was furious about the tackle and asked for a yellow card for the defender. The referee was only willing to hand out a green card and formal warning.
Stacie dragged Aubrey away from the ref and ensured her that she was okay. Aubrey calmed down and moved back to her position. Chloe walked up to the ball to take the free out. This was the first time Barden was attacking in their opponent's half. Following instructions shouted by Aubrey, the girls started to move between their defenders. Chloe passed the ball to the sideline where Beca was waiting. She was immediately pressured by a defender and had to pass the ball back. Chloe was also covered, so she had to play a wild pass forward. The ball crossed the back line without reaching any of the attackers.
Barden had a hard time getting into the opponent's half again. They were almost constantly defending, and although they could stop most attacks, they never managed to actually get rid of the ball. More often than not it was just slammed towards the sideline or the other side of the field. The Lions hadn't managed to score, but it was only a matter of time.
Five minutes before halftime the long awaited goal finally fell. One of the midfielders of the Lions ran up through the middle. Chloe was there, but she hesitated just long enough for the attacker to make a move. Now Barden was down in numbers in defense. The girl kept going, she almost lost the ball to Aubrey at the top of the circle, but managed to hold on to it, and pulled off a shot at goal. Cynthia Rose didn't have the best vision on the ball, because the circle was way too crowded and the ball shot just passed her legguards.
Chloe was standing in the circle looking lost. She felt like this goal was her fault. She hesitated because she didn't want to take a body check, but she should have just gone for it and now they were one goal behind.
The Lions cheered and their crowd joined in. Suddenly Barden was facing not just an incredibly strong team, but also a wall of sound produced by their fans. The whole thing was extremely intimidating. Aubrey felt small, something that didn't happen often. That was, until she heard someone screaming next to her.
"Come on girls, five minutes. We've got this, we just need five minutes."
Everybody in the Barden team looked at their small captain. Beca was screaming at the top of her lungs. She told the team to hang in there, to hold them off for five minutes. Then they could rest and regroup. They just needed five minutes.
The remainder of the first half was tough, but the Lions had lost a bit of their focus and sharpness, so they weren't putting as much pressure on Barden. This allowed them to pass more in defense and relax just a little bit as the clock ticked down.
When the referee finally blew his whistle to indicate halftime Aubrey was relieved. They could have done so much worse than one goal down. She just hoped Beca had some plans to turn this game around.
A/N: The cards in hockey are a bit different than you might be used to from football/soccer:
Green card: Dependent on the level either just a warning, or a 2-minute penalty.
Yellow card: 5 to 10 minute suspension dependent on the severity of the foul.
Red card: Exclusion from the rest of the game (and dependent on the severity of the foul, further penalties may be awarded like additional suspensions or a fine).