Goalies are like actors: Everybody sees the player wearing the mask or brightly colored jersey, but nobody can decipher their identity beneath the equipment.
That is an enigma only they know the answer to, and sometimes, only they can understand.
“It’s certainly a different breed of person,” Ohio soccer goalkeeper Mattie Liston said. “The more goalies I meet, the more I’m like, ‘wow, we are so similar.’ ”
The key to success is instinct. With minimal reaction time, goalies are forced to make split-second decisions that could be the determining factor of a game.
“It takes a little bit of extra assurance,” Liston said. “It has to be instinct, because if it’s not instinct, you’re going to be too slow.”
Bobcat field hockey goalie Jen McGill started her goaltending career in fourth grade. Liston, on the other hand, began playing goalie during her freshman year of high school when her coach offered her a starting spot on the varsity team. In the case of Ohio ice hockey goalie Fedor Dushkin, his father was the first to lobby for him to try on the pads.
“My dad actually forced me to be a goalie because he saw the way I skated and didn’t think I was good enough to be a player,” Dushkin said. “It kind of just went from there … but I don’t regret his decision to put me in as goalie. I love it.”
Despite wearing tons of padding, goalies run the risk of injuring themselves each time they stand in front of the net. McGill and Dushkin said that the most dangerous part of their position is getting knocked over by opposing players.
“You can’t think of it often during a game. You just have to keep focused on saving the puck,” Dushkin said. “You worry about (injuries) after the game.”
McGill, who has sustained two concussions in her career, said that she has never considered the possibility of leaving the field hockey pitch.
“Concussions are a serious matter, but I’ve fallen in love with this game,” McGill said. “I’ve never really thought about not coming back.”
Nursing injuries is not the only downside to the position. With the extra equipment comes extra responsibility. McGill, who often misses running drills because she is working on her technique, will run alone to stay in shape. Liston described her position as “the last line of defense and the first line of offense” and said she studies film to understand each position on the field.
But the perks of playing in the limelight usually outweigh the heavy workload.
“You’re always in the public eye,” Dushkin said. “If you make a great save and save the game, then the credit is all for you.”
To set their mind for an onslaught of shots, McGill and Dushkin do not stray from their pregame rituals. Both deny superstition, though admit they have certain ways of doing things.
Dushkin starts game days with homework and finishes with home-style chicken from Nelson Grab ‘n’ Go. McGill puts her pads on the same way every game and wears the same shirt underneath her jersey.
Liston limits her superstitions to touching the posts upon running out to the field.
“I’m more of the type that’s like, ‘Well, if you’re good it’s probably because you practiced a lot, not because you put the same socks on every game,’” Liston said.
Doing things in a similar way is advantageous for goalies as opponents are constantly trying to knock them of their game.
McGill said her biggest annoyance is when forwards stand on her feet to prevent her from moving. She counters the obstruction with an equally unorthodox method, but preferred to keep her move a secret. The mystery, after all, is part of what makes goalies who they are.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
