It’s the last 30 seconds of the game, and your team is up by one point when suddenly, you realize the ball has passed all your defenders. You are left alone to guard the net. The fate of the game rests in your hands. The pressure is on.
Being the last line of defense in a varsity sport comes with pride and pressure. Their positive mindset, which is enforced by their teammates’ unconditional support, allowing goalies to succeed in this difficult position.
Junior and girls varsity hockey goalie Aurora Charbonneau said being a goalie can be stressful, and managing stress is the key to success.
“When I see the other team coming down with a breakaway, I get pretty scared. You’ve got to take the pressure off yourself because it doesn’t help you perform,” Charbonneau said. “So you have to mentally prepare yourself.”
Junior and girls varsity soccer goalie Julia Churwin said that when you don’t take all the blame for the opposing team scoring, it’s less stressful.
“Being a goalie in any sport is stressful, but it’s as stressful as you make it. If you put all the pressure on yourself, you might be more stressed, but you need to remember that the ball had to go through 10 other people before it reached you,” Churwin said. “So it’s not only your fault most of the time.”
Churwin said that along with not being too hard on yourself, it is still essential to find ways you can improve.
“I use each time I make a mistake as an opportunity,” Churwin said. “Whenever a ball goes in the net, I think about what I did wrong or what I could do differently next time. Sometimes, it’s also important to just move on and not let it get to your head.”
Junior and boys varsity lacrosse goalie Dylan Katz said that he read a book about being a lacrosse goalie, and it taught him not to overthink letting a shot slide.
“You have to let it go by you. If you think about it, it’s going to be stuck in your head, and once it’s stuck in your head, it’s not leaving,” Katz said.
Charbonneau said part of what makes being a goalie so stressful is that you only sometimes have people working directly with you as other positions do.
“When it comes down to it, no one’s there to be your backup; you are the backup,” Charbonneau said. “That can be a little hard emotionally.”
Churwin said the pressure of being a goalie has its pros and cons, but she has found ways to manage the cons.
“I do a lot of things before games just to make sure that I’m not super anxious and stressed because I realize that if I am really riled up, I can make stupid mistakes,” Churwin said. “For example, if I’m tense, the ball could go straight through my hands. But the pressure is mostly good because it helps me feel focused.”
Katz said that the stress of being a goalie diminishes over time.
“I got put in for the first time freshman year because our senior goalie wasn’t there. I did get scored on, and I felt the pressure. But once I started saving it, I realized that the pressure goes away over time. Then you start knowing what to do when reacting to a person shooting the ball,” Katz said. “I’m still getting better to this day and that’s what makes it fun.”
According to Churwin, having a full view of the field allows the goalie to take on a leadership role.
“It’s stressful at times. But I like leading from the back and specifically directing the defense on where to go. I think it’s a good leadership role to be a goalie,” Churwin said.
According to Katz, getting in his head stops him from playing his best, but with his team’s support, he finds the strength to move on and prevent the next goal.
“It’s a team effort. Sometimes, I feel like I could have saved the shot. But if I miss, I miss it, and my teammates are backing me up, telling me that’s okay and that I’ll get the next one,” Katz said. “And that’s what I do. I just go for the next one.”
Junior and girls varsity field hockey goalie Anna Dencker said she encourages people to try to be goalies because, with a great support system, you can get through the harder parts of being a goalie to enjoy the rewarding moments.
“It’s not as scary as it may seem,” Dencker said. “Obviously, it’s a lot of pressure, which makes it hard, but your team and your coach are here to support you. So, if you’re thinking about it, go be a goalie.”
