After the third goal, the Ravens sent on two substitutions: a striker to replace Riko's partner and a new dealer. Wymack took advantage of the break to send Matt and Aaron on for Nicky and Renee. Despite the score, Matt was grinning as he stopped on the first-fourth line. He was set to mark Riko and looked eager for a fight. Neil was frustrated by how the game was going but Matt's obvious excitement was almost enough to make him smile.

Matt was the strongest Fox and Aaron could outplay Nicky any day. Their arrival on the court made an immediate difference, and the Foxes finally started to hold their ground. The Ravens weren't expecting that, judging by the aggressive turn the game took. Neil wasn't at all surprised that the fights started with Riko and Matt.

Riko almost made it past Matt for a shot on goal, but Matt twisted in an impossible move and used his body like a battering ram. They collided with such a loud crash Neil cringed in sympathy pain. He forgot about them a second later when he saw what Andrew was doing.

It wasn't against the rules for goalkeepers to leave their goals, but it was extremely ill-advised considering how big their goals were and how fast a ball could move. A goalkeeper only risked it in extreme cases. Apparently tonight was one of those nights, because Andrew was moving before Matt and Riko even hit the ground. Aaron, the other striker, and both dealers were all racing for the ball, but Andrew was closer and faster.

A goalkeeper's racquet was flat, meant to deflect a ball rather than catch it, so Andrew couldn't scoop the ball up. He knew how to redirect it, though, and gave the ball a short, fierce swat. It hit the ground first, the wall second, and rebounded high. Andrew cleared it all the way up the court to his strikers with a hard swing. Neil only needed a second to realize Andrew was sending it to him, and his heart beat with savage triumph.

Jean and Johnson had pushed Kevin and Neil all the way to half-court. With that much open space Neil could outrun anyone. It didn't matter that he started with Johnson right at his back or that Johnson was better than he was. Neil had plenty of room to run and he was the fastest player in the game. He was two steps ahead of Johnson before he passed the far-fourth line and he'd widened the gap to six by the time he caught the ball.