Coach Dillon looks at me with humoured yet tired eyes. ‘Don’t talk to me about funding, City Boy. This is a girls’ team in the South. Not to mention, we’re in a tough situation as it is. Velasco struggled last season. Wasn’t a good look.’

‘A good look? Her freshman and sophomore seasons were flawless. That game at Mayfair was a masterclass. And everyone’s allowed an off-year, right?’

The coach raises an eyebrow at my defence of the captain. ‘Didn’t realize you were so partial to her.’

I clear my throat awkwardly and shift my bag of balls from hand to hand. ‘We knew each other back in high school.’

‘Well.’ She nods, lips pursed. ‘This may come as a shock to you, CJ, but Velasco’s one of two women of colour on that team. She may be a star, but the programme’s made up of a board of wealthy white men. Her performance this season’s got to be beyond flawless if she wants to stay on through senior season long enough to get into the MLL. If she doesn’t keep up, it could even spell trouble for the pretty scholarship they have her on.’

‘What …’ I try to digest the words, the likes of which I’ve never heard in my years playing lacrosse. ‘You mean they could tear away financial aid and boot a player from the team, just like that? You wouldn’t have a say?’

‘Nope.’ Coach Dillon shakes her head, and the tiredness in her eyes appears more resigned than anything else. This is what it’s going to be. We have to deal with it. ‘Best I can do with what I have is get her firing on all cylinders that first game. From there, she’s a contender for a contract, for sure. Then it’s a publicity game. Bring the MLL’s eyes over here, all that. Men’s team does a good job of drawing us second-hand attention, at least. You know how Okie loves its Riders.’

That I can agree on. Growing up here, football was big, and the university team was well-loved. But for whatever reason, this tiny college town just outside of Oklahoma City decided that it was going to worship its men’s lacrosse team. The Riders, division champs for the last five years straight, brought in crowds from across the state. When you give people who are used to a whole lot of nothing a little bit of something, they latch onto it.

‘Do your thing,’ the coach continues, with an expectant look my way as we exit the shed, and the relentless Oklahoma sunlight beats directly down on us. ‘We can’t take chances this season. These girls have to play every minute like it’s the last game they’ll ever see.’