Free You Lucky Dog by Matt Christopher, Stephanie Peters, Daniel Vasconcellos Page A

something a little more daring. He was going to run full
     out for the Panthers’ goal.
    He waited for Stookie to get the ball and start dribbling downfield. Then he took off. Legs pumping, he ran for all he was
     worth and managed to leave his defender several steps behind! Keeping one eye on Stookie, he made a beeline for the goal.

    Phreet!
    Lou stopped short at the whistle. He looked around to see what had made the ref stop the game. To his horror, he saw the ref
     pointing straight at him.
    “Offside!” the ref shouted.
    Lou slapped his hand to his head. He’d forgotten a basic soccer rule: If you don’t have the ball and you’re in your opponent’s
     half of the field, you have to keep at least two defenders between you and the goal. Otherwise, you’re offside.
    The only defender between Lou and the goal was the goalie. Lou had run so fast, he’d outrun the Panthers’ fullbacks as well
     as the girl defending him.
    The ref positioned the ball for an indirect free kick. A Panther fullback took the kick and sent it rocketing down the field.
     The girl who had been dogging Lou all game trappedit, spun, and headed for the ’Cats’ goal. She dodged past the defense, and suddenly it was just her against the ’Cats’ goalie.
    “C’mon, Bucky, stop her!” Lou pleaded. But the Panther’s kick was just too strong. Bucky lunged and missed. The score was
     tied — and it was all Lou’s fault.

Chapter 3

    L ou felt awful as he got back into position. He eyed the Panther across from him. She smiled triumphantly back at him.
    If I’m going to make up for that mistake,
Lou thought,
I’ve got to figure out a way to beat her!
    As the minutes ticked by, Lou tried every trick he knew. He speeded up, then stopped short. He faked left and moved right.
     He even stood stock-still, hoping she’d run past him. But nothing worked. He just couldn’t shake her.
    Finally, though, something happened thatchanged his luck. Midway through the second half, the Panther was taken out of the game and a sub was put in her place.
    All right!
Lou thought.
Now maybe I’ll get a chance to help out in this game. Maybe I’ll even make a goal!
    And it seemed like he was going to get a chance to do just that. With three minutes left in the game, Stookie was racing down
     the field with the ball. He glanced up at Lou, then jerked his head.
    Lou was sure Stookie was signaling for him to head for the goal for a pass. He took off.
    Lou was so focused on Stookie, he didn’t think to check out the field in front of him. He saw Stookie stop and control the
     ball. Lou moved a few steps closer to the goal as Stookie pulled his leg back for the pass.
    The pass was perfect. Lou had no trouble controlling the ball.
There’s no way I’m missing this one!
Lou thought gleefully. He aimed and kicked. Suddenly, a blur of movement caughthis eye. He heard a growl, and one second later, he was pulled to the ground!
    Lou hit the turf hard. As he lay there, he heard the ref’s whistle. Then he heard laughter.
    Stookie appeared at Lou’s side and helped him up. “What happened?” Lou asked, dazed.
    “A dog knocked you down and ruined your shot,” Stookie replied.
    “What?!” Lou couldn’t believe his ears.
    “Afraid so,” Stookie said. He looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry.
    “But the ball was going in! There was no way I was going to miss that shot! The ref has to count the goal, right?”
    Stookie shrugged. “I don’t think so. Besides, I think you were offside when I passed to you.”
    Lou’s jaw dropped. He ran off the field to ask Coach Bradley. But the coach confirmed what Stookie said. The ball hadn’t gone
     into the net, so it wasn’t a goal.
    Lou was furious. “But — but —” he sputtered helplessly. Coach Bradley patted Lou’s shoulder and shook his head.

    The ref had finally managed to shoo the dog off the field. A fan held on to him while the game played out its last minute.
     When the buzzer