"Yeah! Tripped!" sneered Roger.
The whistle blew for the next goal.
Tom, with an amazing burst of speed, swept down the field, broke stride to bring him in perfect line with the ball and with a kick that seemed almost lazy, sent the ball from a dead standstill, fifty yards over the Capella goal before any of the remaining players were within five feet of it, and the score was tied.
The crowd sprang to its feet again and roared his name.
"That was terrific!" said Astro, slapping Tom on the back as they lined up again. "It looked as though you hardly kicked that ball at all."
"Yeah," muttered Roger, "you really made yourself the grandstand's delight!"
"What's that supposed to mean, Manning?" asked Astro.
"Superman Corbett probably burned himself out! Let's see him keep up that speed for the next ten minutes!"
The whistle blew for the next goal, and again the three boys moved forward to meet the onrushing Capella unit.
Richards blocked Astro with a twist of his body, and without stopping his forward motion, kicked the ball squarely toward the goal. It stopped ten feet short, took a dizzying spin and rolled away from the goal line. In a flash, the six boys were around the ball, blocking, shoving, and yelling instructions to each other while at the same time kicking at the unsteady ball. With each grazing kick, the ball went into even more maddening spins and gyrations.