To love something so much and to be so good at it, but then have it stripped away from you when you least expect it is tragic. Soccer has been the sport of my choice since I have been three ½ years old. It was the love of my life. I loved everything about it from the sweet smell of the grass to the most exhilarating feeling of scoring a goal. The sport of soccer was what motivated me to do better in everything I did, but that soon changed in a split second when I tore my Anterior Cruciated Ligament and my Meniscus Cartilage in 5 places.
             I grew up in a family that lived, breathed, and played soccer. My Dad coached soccer and both of my older brothers played soccer through High School, so when it came to me I had no choice but to play. I started playing when I was only 3 ½. I was a little terror on the field. I loved to score right from the beginning. When you are at that age you play "bunch ball", so what my father told me to do was to stand outside the bunch and wait till the ball squirted out. This plan worked brilliantly, I scored goal after goal with this method. As I continued to play and move through the ranks of soccer I began to enjoy it more with every game I played. I went to tournaments all across California and even some out of state. I was having the time of my life playing the world-renowned game of soccer.
             When I reached Jr. High I played on the school's soccer team. I started as a 7th grader, but didn't really do anything special until my 8th grade year. During my 8th grade year of soccer I lit up the stats' in goals and assist's scoring 16 goals and having 12 assists. My biggest moment came in the championship game. My team was down 2 – 1 when I got a break down the side lines, I took the ball towards the goal and slid it into the side netting, tying the game 2 – 2 with three minutes to play. The game went into penalty kicks where I made a crucial shot ...