Goalkeepers Featured in Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/high-schools/headlines/20110406-communicating-confidence-star-goalkeepers-poised-under-pressure.ece?action=reregister

This is a nice feature on some of the DFW area keepers playing.

whowasthatto wrote:http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/high-schools/headlines/20110406-communicating-confidence-star-goalkeepers-poised-under-pressure.ece?action=reregister

This is a nice feature on some of the DFW area keepers playing.

My DD and I read that article together. It spurred some good discussion and really stressed the importance of confidence for keepers.

somebody with a subscription wanna cut & paste?

twotone wrote:somebody with a subscription wanna cut & paste?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/high-schools/headlines/20110406-cool-under-fire-what-separates-good-soccer-goalkeepers-from-great-ones.ece

see if this works

negative ghostrider.

Try using a login from http://www.bugmenot.com

I tried that. It doesn't work. Apparently you have to be a paid subscriber to access this article.

TXSoccerDad wrote:I tried that. It doesn't work. Apparently you have to be a paid subscriber to access this article.

But you didn't get this from me.

When McKinney Boyd’s girls soccer team went into its only shootout of the season, a 2-1 win over district foe Sachse in early March, coach Jimmie Lankford huddled his team before the dribble-ups. He glanced over at his goalkeeper, junior Kara Dugall, and found her beaming.

“She was way excited,” Lankford said.

With the game in the balance, and largely in her hands, Dugall couldn’t wait for her first varsity chance at a shootout.

“It was fun, to say the least,” Dugall said. “Just being able to read it, and know what they were doing, it was great.”

That type of unwavering confidence under pressure is what makes goalkeepers a different breed.

As the UIL playoffs draw to a close, with regional tournaments Friday and Saturday and the state championships next weekend, such swagger and bravado is what separates good keepers from great ones, and subsequently, playoff teams from champions.

“Everything we do as goalkeepers is about how you carry yourself, how you communicate your positivity and confidence to the team,” Joe Waggoner said.

Waggoner trains nearly 40 high school keepers, either through private lessons through his business, Keeperzone.net, or through club teams. Also the SMU women’s goalkeeper coach, he trains Dugall with her club team, Dallas Sting ’94.

“Every goalkeeper that’s made it far has that something about them,” Waggoner said. “The way they carry themselves, the confidence they exude, it makes it known to their team that when the game’s on the line, their keeper is going to get it done.”

Yet giving off an impenetrable vibe is just one of a keeper’s many roles — from coach to therapist. They are often in charge of organizing the defense, ensuring that it keeps its shape.

“She sees things that I can’t see and that our other defenders can’t see,” Boyd defender Meghan Streight said of Dugall. “She keeps us organized at the back and lets us know what’s going on.”

Constant communication with the backline also helps keepers stay engaged in a game that, at least for most elite teams, leaves them largely unchallenged. Boyd’s opposition averaged around four shots per game.

“The goalkeepers that are really the best — on championship teams — are the ones that make one save,” Waggoner said. “They aren’t called on to do much all game long, and that one moment when you need them to make a difference, they can pull it out.”

Rockwall coach Melissa Garcia — whose keeper, Bekah Barton, has allowed one playoff goal this season — said her keeper is also something of a team psychologist. Barton had back-to-back shootout wins in the playoffs last season, leading her team to the regional semifinals before losing to eventual 4A champion Richardson Pearce.

“The team looked to her, and in big games, she’s the one they turn to,” Garcia said. “If she’s strong, they are strong.”

In the playoffs, keeper play becomes even more essential because of the frequency of shootouts.

Last season, 64 playoff games were decided on dribble-ups, including the 5A and 4A boys finals. Jesuit won three shootouts during its 2010 5A championship run, with keeper Ryan Aubrey winning the MVP after stopping all of Houston Strake Jesuit’s dribble-ups. Frisco Wakeland’s Nick Petolick was perfect in his shootout as well, winning the 4A finals MVP.

Unlike penalty kicks, where shooters generally force the action, the dribble-up format allows keepers to be proactive. Instead of being at the shooter’s mercy, they can rush out and take more control.

Again, a keeper’s aura is important, Frisco Wakeland coach Meagan Wilson said. Wilson coaches Vanderbilt-bound goalkeeper Brittanie Barbero.

“As you step up to the line, you’ve got to be playing mind games with the forwards,” Wilson said. “But if your head’s immediately down, and you’re not confident, shooters will eat you alive.”

In the first round of the playoffs, Southlake Carroll’s undefeated boys team was forced into a shootout against Flower Mound Marcus. Star keeper Oshick Shams, who had 16 regular-season shutouts, stonewalled Marcus.

“I love this, I love the pressure, I love having the game on my back,” Shams said.

Title winners

Rarely do teams win titles without quality keepers. Last season’s three Dallas/Fort Worth-area state champions all had college-bound keepers: Jesuit senior Ryan Aubrey (Buffalo), Frisco Wakeland junior Nick Petolick (Oral Roberts) and Richardson Pearce junior Rosa Medina (Oklahoma State). Aubrey and Petolick were both named MVPs of their respective state finals, not allowing a goal in shootouts.

Going the distance

Number of shootouts in last year’s playoffs:

5A boys: 19 (three by state champ Jesuit)

5A girls: 17

4A boys: 19

4A girls: 9 (two in back-to-back wins by Rockwall)

Still going

Some of the other top keepers remaining in the playoffs:

BOYS

Kevin Wright, Jr., McKinney Boyd: Member of Disney’s Soccer Showcase team that will tour Europe this summer

Jay Darby, Sr., Argyle: 2010 District 11-4A goalkeeper of the year

GIRLS

Jackie Kerestine, Sr., Colleyville Heritage: 2010 District 5-5A goalkeeper of the year, signed with North Texas

Sarah Hay, Jr., Waxahachie: Three-year starter has led Waxahachie to its most wins ever