Ohio’s trio of goalkeepers might be listed in different spots on the depth chart, but they are a cohesive unit pushing each other to get better.
Junior goalkeeper Mattie Liston has started most of the games in net for Ohio, but sophomore Nicole Amari and redshirt sophomore Rachel Fryan pressure her to maintain her high level of play, which creates a bond between them.
“As a goalkeeper you’ve got to be tight as a group because you’ve got to push each other to get better,” Fryan said. “You’re by yourself when you’re out there on the field anyway, so any people that can relate to that is good.”
Amari said all three push each other, but the competition between all three is never a full-fledged battle.
“As a team, we all are backing each other up and helping each other out,” Amari said. Especially all three (goalkeepers) of us too, we tell each other what we can fix and what we can do better so it’s never like a battle.”
Liston has started every game this season, recording 1055 minutes, but all three goalies have seen time in the net this year. Both Fryan and Amari played in both Ohio’s exhibition games against Eastern Kentucky and Cleveland State.
Liston said the competition is proof of the depth that the team has.
“We definitely push each other in practice all the time, and that’s part of having lots of people in different positions. You can help each other and push each other through practices,” Liston said.
Despite the fact that two of the keepers might not record any minutes in games, their routines do not differ from Liston’s.
Before each game all three goalies run, stretch and take shots on goal to prepare themselves for the match. Both Fryan and Amari said they try and treat every practice as if it is a game situation.
Fryan said before the game she relaxes herself with mental imagery. She said she has trained herself for the ‘what if’ moment, if she would have to enter the match.
She said she stays engaged on the bench by watching the game from a different perspective and tries to see if she can figure out what the coaches are going to stress at halftime.
Ohio coach Stacy Strauss said they are two of the hardest workers on the team, setting the standard for how the team should prepare for games. She said she was particularly pleased with Fryan and Amari’s toughness after battling injuries.
Strauss said the great aspect of all three goalies is that they have different skill sets and play off each other.
“The neat thing about them too is that they’re completely different and have different strengths so in training together, they learn from each other and pick up different aspects of their play.” Strauss said.
mk277809@ohiou.edu
