TAYLOR BIRD
Sports Assistant
Goalkeepers have perhaps the most crucial job of anyone on the soccer field. Not only are they responsible for diving left and right to thwart their opponents’ attempts to score, but they also must act as surveyors of the match in progress. As the only player on the soccer pitch who can see the entirety of the field at all times, a goalie must constantly assess his or her team’s current situation and take charge of the defensive unit.
Junior Kayla Stolte is the starting goalkeeper for the Waves’ women’s soccer team. On an individual level, she says she wants to become one of the best keepers in the country. But as a teammate, her chief ambitions for the 2007 season can be summed up quite simply: help her team go all the way.
“We want to win the WCC [West Coast Conference] and get back to the NCAA tournament this year,” Stolte said. “And we want to win the whole thing.”
Last season, Stolte ranked third in the WCC with 4.6 saves per game and in 2005 was named the team’s “Wave of the Year” as a freshman. In seven games this season, Stolte has recorded 23 saves and posted a .793 save percentage.
Her soccer career began at the age of 5, but she says it took a few years before she realized she had a special aptitude for goalkeeping.
“I was playing an indoor game, and they recognized that I was somehow good at [playing] goalie,” she says.
As she matured as a soccer player, Stolte, like many other female players her age, tried to model her game after two-time World Cup champion forward Mia Hamm.
“Growing up, I think every girl idolized Mia Hamm,” she says. “She revolutionized soccer for women.”
In addition to playing goalie for the Waves, Stolte has also had to deal with the general responsibilities of being a full-time student and a math major, roles that do not allow much breathing room.
“It’s definitely hard. You have to really make sure you manage your time well,” Stole says. “There are only small windows when you can get your homework done. It’s a struggle, but it’s manageable.”
The old maxim “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” holds very true for Stolte.
“[Breakfast is] crucial, because class goes right up to soccer practice, so you don’t know when you’re going to eat,” she says. “So you have to make sure you get a hardy breakfast and pack a lunch.”
To have enough time for all her daily responsibilities, Stolte says she goes to class already dressed in her soccer clothes. She carries her soccer bag in addition to her backpack so she can have lunch and head straight to the field for practice, which typically lasts two to three hours.
During the first part of practice, Stolte and fellow goalie Katie Rokus work with assistant coach Ian Feuer on various goalkeeping techniques.
“Generally for about the first 45 minutes to an hour of practice, the goalkeepers go over and train with our goalkeeping coach and just do very technical base stuff on goalkeeping that strengthens our game,” Stolte said.
After practice is concluded, Stolte attends her night classes, grabs a quick dinner and wraps up her day by completing any last-minute homework.
“And you have to get bed early because you’re very tired at the end of the day,” she said.
Academically, Stolte has set standards for herself to complete her math major requirements and graduate with a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher. As for what she wants to do after college, Stolte says she has seriously considered taking her goalkeeping skill to the professional level.
“Right now in the U.S., there is not a women’s professional league, but it’s supposed to be coming back,” she said. “So if that comes back I would definitely like to try and play.
There’s only a small window of opportunity, when I’m at the right age where I can play. If it comes back here I’d definitely give it a shot.”
But Stolte does have a contingency plan in case her soccer ambitions do not pan out.
“My fallback career is to be a math teacher, but I have a lot I want to do before I settle down in a certain place,” she says. “So we’ll see what happens.”
09-27-2007
