Keepers corner
Every team has a last line of defense, but one position truly operates in a high-pressure environment of isolation: the goalkeeper. As soccer season enters the second round of district senior goalkeepers Chase Anderson, Zaheerabbas Ali, and junior goalkeeper Andrew Telling lead their team to success.
“Being a goalkeeper means being confident and reliable because you can be really good, but if you’re not consistent and reliable and your coach doesn’t trust you, then you’re just good for nothing.”
“It’s one of the only positions where athleticism is the main focus. All the positions are athletic, but I think athleticism as a goalkeeper is big. It’s so easy to see if a keeper’s athletic or not, I gravitated towards it, especially because I played football when I was younger.”
“Everyone knows it takes the trust of your teammates and coaches being the last line of defense. But no one talks about the trust you have to have in yourself to command a team to success.”
“I’m able to go through diversity and push through hardships a lot better than I expected myself to.”
“There is a lot that goes into soccer and it’s beyond the score and the skill. Its mindset, communication and willingness to change in high pressure situations.”
“I want to make sure everyone on my team is in the right mindset, that they are ready for the game and keeping their heads up even if the game is close so we can pull through.”

