Sitting in the stands watching a soccer game, you may spend both halves of the game focusing on the different field players kicking around the ball. But do you ever stop to notice the athlete at the opposite end of the field, in a crouching position, ready and waiting for action? Although they tend to go unnoticed, they are the most valuable players in the game: the goalies.
“It’s one of those weird things that [goalies] are underappreciated, but one mistake and the game is on them,” boys soccer coach and social studies teacher Tom Ruth said. “[They’re] underappreciated, but when they make a mistake you know it.”

Parra plays for the love of the game
by Jensen Tate
When visual freshman and boys soccer goalie David Parra came to Dreyfoos, there was no doubt that he would try out for the soccer team. He had been playing soccer since he was 7 and has played as a goalie since he was 10. It was Parra’s father who got him interested in playing soccer.
“My dad played soccer at my age and he used to watch it whenever it was on television, and I started liking it. So I joined the Sunday league at the park,” Parra said.
Parra has played on recreational teams as well as at Conniston Middle School for two years, giving him years of practice as a goalie. The players and coach are happy to have him on the team.
“It’s great having [Parra] as a goalie [because of] his hand strength, his overall body strength, [and] quickness,” Mr. Ruth said. “It’s great to have a freshman [on the team] because you know that … you’ve got four years of a goalie.”
Usually during tryouts there is a shortage of goalies, but this year, six players tried out. The players understand the importance of the goalie and appreciate the fact that Parra always does a good job on the field.
“[Goalies] are expected to do their job and they aren’t praised as much as field players, even though their position is the most vital one to winning the game,” visual junior and teammate Ian Jones said.

LaBonte accepts responsibilities
By Bari Bossis
This season, when the opposing team scores less than two goals, the girls soccer team’s record is 5-0. The responsibility of defending the goal lies in the hands of band senior and girls soccer goalie Nikolette “Nikki” LaBonte. LaBonte has been the goalie on the team since she transferred from Suncoast her sophomore year.
“I think that being a goalie is a great position because it’s a unique job. It’s something for me that has a lot of excitement to it,” LaBonte said. “It’s a really cool thing for me to know that if the team is struggling, I can support them and keep us in the game.”
Visual sophomore and teammate Victoria Cruz recognizes the importance of LaBonte’s overall participation on the field, and how crucial it is for a successful game.

“We look up to her,” Cruz said. “She makes ridiculous saves that we didn’t even think could be saved. Without her, we would not win any games.”
Fortunately on LaBonte’s part, her ‘ridiculous saves’ do not cause her to break any bones in her body, but are only the breaking points in the game. Although goalies can often sustain injuries, LaBonte has been lucky so far.
“[A goalie] can get injured more severely and due to the nature of the game. It is hard to recover because you keep having to perform these physically strenuous tasks,” LaBonte said. “I don’t actually get hurt very often; the rules of soccer have strict rules protecting the safety of the goalie.”
Unlike field players who often remember specific goals they scored during a match, LaBonte recalls few saves that she has gotten during her years of soccer.
“One play in a fast moving game can be extremely hard to remember,” LaBonte said. “Recently, during our [win] against Dwyer high school, I made a save that was based totally on instinct. For me, it was an incredible moment because you realize that your work has paid off.”
Mr. Ruth admires LaBonte’s major improvement throughout her years as goalie. He agrees that LaBonte’s role is a factor in the team’s frequent success.
“She’s a huge part of their success right now. She’s calm and she’s been consistent [with] very few mistakes,” Mr. Ruth said. “She’s gone from being an average keeper to a great keeper. She’s been so solid this year.”