Head Goal Keeping Coach, Chris Ducar

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Obviously, a GK has to be skilled, in order to play for college.  We asked Chirs what else he looked for in a player during his recruiting process and this was his response..............

"When I walk up to a field to evaluate a goalkeeper, I like to get there early to watch the player warm up.  What I see in their game preparation will tell me volumes about who they are as a goalkeeper and how seriously they take the position. 

Initially, I am looking at their technical handling skills.  If the player or coach shooting the ball at her is hitting them at a game like pace and she is catching a high percentage of the shots cleanly that is a good start.  I may be intrigued enough to move on to watching her in the game.

Too many times however, I see goalkeepers warming up with unrealistically weak service that will never happen in a game or they are dropping things that should be caught.  That tells me immediately that they have not been prepared properly and at that point, I doubt if I waste any more time at that field. 

Once the game starts, I look at a variety of factors that will help me determine if I will be recruiting that player in the future.

The thing that stands out to me immediately as the game starts is the goalkeeper’s PRESENCE.  Where she positions herself when the ball is in different parts of the field gives me an idea if she is and aggressive goalkeeper or a passive/timid one.  I prefer an aggressive goalkeeper since I have found it is easier to reign in that type of mentality that trying to get an inherently passive one to add aggression to her game.

If she moves around the goal box with confidence, has a confident posture and communicates with her teammates in a tone that is decisive and appropriate for the situation, that is a big plus.

I love a goalkeeper who catches crosses.  To me this is a sign of confidence. This is such a weakness in the women’s game so if I see a young girl get out in a crowd, read the flight of the ball, time her jump and actually catch it under pressure, I will be impressed.

Kicking is a major component in modern goalkeeping.  A goalkeeper who does not take her own goal kicks or kicks them weakly when she does is not spending enough time on that skill and she can only hurt her team in the long run.

One last thing I wanted to touch on that will give me an insight into how mentally tough and confident a young goalkeeper is occurs when she has some sort of failure during the game.  For example, suppose the other team played a ball into the box and the goalkeeper decided to try to win it when it was clear the striker would get their first. If this decision leads to a goal, obviously I make note of that decision and the consequence, but while everyone else is watching the celebration, I am looking at the goalkeeper to see how she reacts to the goal.  If she keeps her head down, punches the post, kicks the ground or screams at her teammates I know that she will be mentally out of if for a while and that could lead to another goal.  No goalkeeper likes to be scored on but even the best make mistakes.  It is how that player deals with the mistake and moves on gives me an insight as to the mental and competitive maturity of that goalkeeper.

In conclusion, college coaches are looking for goalkeepers who are technically prepared, have solid positioning and decision making abilites, are tough and courageous, have good presence and leadership qualities and are able to evaluate mistakes and move on to the next situation."

Chris Ducar

Goalkeeper Coach

UNC Women’s Soccer

 
Goal Keeper Jessica Wall

AUM - Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama

Jessica talks about the special relationship between Goal Keepers and their teammates

First, let me point out that I think the position of goalkeeper is one of the most important positions on the field, and that all goalkeepers should never forget the importance of their role no matter what the rest of the team may think. Despite what many people may believe, we do not just stand there waiting for shots. The keeper is so important because, as my coach at AUM puts it, we are the ones that run the show. We, as the goalkeepers, have most of the responsibility when it comes to letting our team know when they are unorganized as well as letting them know when they need to step it up and do better, and this communication is vital to the success of a team. In my experience as a female goalkeeper, the latter sometimes causes difficulty in relationship-building with the rest of the team. Females naturally tend to take criticism personally, and it seems that many of them do not know how to separate what is said on the field from the relationship off the field. Unfortunately, we must often be the ones to heighten the maturity level. You cannot simply stop doing your job as a goalkeeper just because you feel like one person might not like you anymore, and it might be helpful to explain this to your field players. Explain that you are only doing what is expected of you as a goalkeeper by letting them know what needs to be done to help the team.

A goalkeeper must command respect on the field, but off the field he or she must remember not to make the rest of the team feel inferior. Do not act like a keeper off the field. Be a normal person. Laugh and joke around just like anyone would and be comfortable around your teammates. Let them know that you do not hold any kind of grudge off the field and they will most likely do the same. It is not always the field players’ fault, and as goalkeepers, we must remember that as well. Remember to build your players up at times, not just tear them down.

Another important issue for goalkeepers is confidence level. While we are taught to be confident as goalkeepers, it is also important to know the appropriate confidence level we should maintain. It often seems that males tend to be cockier, meaning that their confidence level is often very high. As a female, I cannot technically say that this is a bad thing because males tend to have more confidence anyway, but it seems that as a female, cockiness can also lead to relationship-building problems as well. In my experience, this is not a problem area for most females; however, I have met female goalkeepers who have terrible relationships with their teammates due to the fact that they are too cocky, and they make their teammates feel inferior. Confidence is a necessity, but do not let your confidence outwardly affect your attitude toward your team. That is the difference between confidence a nd cockiness, and cockiness is not something a goalkeeper should possess.

A goalkeeper’s relationship with his or her team is different from the relationships that the field players have amongst themselves. It is not difficult for us to have healthy relationships with our teammates as long as we realize that there are certain ways to handle our job so that we do not come off the wrong way. Be proud to be a goalkeeper, but learn that there are ways to deal with your job so that you can be a good friend to your teammates as well.

Did you know?

Women's soccer is very popular in Nordic countries. In 1997, a total of 200, 000 players were registered in Sweden and 40, 000 (20%) of them were women.  Woman's soccer is the

second largest sport in Sweden.   Soccer continues to increase in popularity

worldwide. In the last 10 years, the number of young women participating in soccer has
also increased within collegiate institutions in the United States.

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Tony DiCicco, head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team and a former goalkeeper, gives 7 tips for improving your punting skills.
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