10 SportsUnion | OCTOBER 19, 2018
high school
Soccer
To an average fan watching a soccer game in person, or on tele-
vision, they would notice the players in the midfield and attack. Af-
ter all, those are the players that get all the press. They are the
ones that make the money.
By Matt Ondesko Managing Editor
Playmakers get rating. Ron-
aldo, Messi and so drive the
rating. They are the ones that
people pay to watch on a daily
basis. They are ones that grab
the headlines.
Look further down the pitch
and you will see a lonely man.
He is by himself on an island.
He doesn’t get a lot of press -
unless he makes a mistake.
He needs to be big and make
a couple key saves a games to
give his team a chance to win.
A goalkeeper in soccer can
be a lonely time. Depend-
ing on the game, and team, a
keeper may face one or two
shots a game. They need to be
on their game even when they
could be standing around do-
ing nothing for 88 of the 90
minutes of the game.
But, in those two minutes of
the contest, the keeper needs
to be the man. They need to
step up and make the big save
when called upon. The need
to be a Gigi Buffon and will
his team to a World Cup title
by stopping one or two shots a
game.
Still being a keeper is one
of the hardest positions in all
of soccer. They are diving to
make key saves. They are the
backbone of the defense. They
need to have great communi-
cation through the game - so
the players know where they
are going, or what they are do-
ing.
If the keeper plays on a team
that isn’t as elite as others,
they may be called upon to
make a lot of saves just to keep
their team in the game.
Bishop Timon High School’s
Ryan Gall is the man that
makes the team tick. He is
Standing
tall
one of the main reasons why
Timon is seeing a rebirth
with the soccer program. The
young man has been one of
the best keepers in a loaded
Monsignor Martin Athletic
Association.
However, it’s still a lonely
place to stand. With the game
on the line, Gall knows if he
doesn’t make the save when
called upon it could cost his
team the game. A lot of pres-
sure to put on one player.
“The goalkeeper position is
one of the most overlooked
positions in all of sports. Ev-
eryone is focused on the goal
scorers and all the beautiful
passes made, but nobody pays
attention to the goalkeeper
until they are called upon mid
game,” stated Gall. “Being a
goalkeeper is one of the hard-
est positions in all of sports; it
is a very physically demand-
ing job and very stressful. Ev-
eryone on the soccer field will
make mistakes, but when a
goalkeeper makes one mis-
take everyone will remember
it because it will usually lead
to a goal. Most think what’s
the point of being a goalkeep-
er if you don’t score and you
usually only get hate. The
thrill of making a save is 10x