The Big Goal
The soccer game was almost over. The score was tied 1-1. Mateo felt tired, and rain fell from the sky. His uniform was full of mud.
Marcus was on the other team. Marcus had the ball and ran fast toward the net. Mateo watched his feet closely. When Marcus tried to kick, Mateo stepped in and stopped the ball. Now Mateo had the ball!
Mateo looked toward the goal. He wanted to take the shot himself. Then he saw his teammate, Sofia. Sofia was open near the net. She was waving her hands. A big defender was running toward Mateo.
Mateo remembered practicing with Sofia in the park. He knew he could trust his friend. Mateo kicked the ball across the grass right to Sofia.
Sofia kicked the ball hard. It flew into the top of the net! The referee blew the whistle. The game was over, and their team won. Mateo cheered and ran to hug Sofia. Working together was the best way to win.
- score:
- The number of points or goals each team has in a game.
- uniform:
- Matching clothes worn by all members of a sports team.
- teammate:
- A person who plays on the same team as you.
- defender:
- A player whose job is to protect the goal and stop the other team from scoring.
- referee:
- The person who makes sure all players follow the rules during a game.
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About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
âThe Big Goalâ is a short story reading passage about Teamwork, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minute to read (166 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.