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Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Net Gain
Central Indiana, IN
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By: By Chris Nelsen
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Photo(s) By: Brian Spurlock
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For some of the area’s best goal scorers, putting a soccer ball into the net (over and over again) is sometimes more about determination and confidence than a great level of skill.
Intelligence. Instinct. Resolve. Speed. Strength.
While all these words come to mind when describing how to be an effective goal scorer at any level, some people might brush off one of the most important attributes as nothing more than an overused cliché.
“Confidence,” said Zionsville junior forward Harrison Petts. “You have to believe every shot will go in. It’s really more of a mental process than anything else.”
With many soccer games decided by small margins of victory one goal can make the difference. That’s where confidence plays a key role.
“You could be getting shut down all game, but you have to push forward and continue to believe in yourself,” Martinsville senior midfielder Abbie Goss said. “When people put their head down, it just makes things worse.”
The right amount of confidence, combined with natural athletic ability, can turn an average offensive player into a goal scoring machine. And it might even earn them a college scholarship, too.
University of Indianapolis women’s soccer coach Geoff VanDeusen said confidence is the No. 1 characteristic that stands out when recruiting a high school player.
“If the game is tied in the final minutes, I’m looking for someone who wants the ball and won’t hesitate to take the last shot,” he said. “You need a mix of selfishness and confidence to be effective.
“Statistics can be misleading in high school sometimes, especially if a kid is bigger and faster than everyone they’re playing against. But if someone is truly confident in their ability to score goals, they have a much better chance to succeed in college.”
For Covenant Christian senior midfielder Blake Leyden, confidence and composure go hand-in-hand on the soccer field. Leyden tallied 22 goals and 13 assists last season, and he had seven goals and two assists in five games to start this year.
“It takes a lot of composure to finish goals,” said the Butler recruit. “If you lose your head on a scoring run, you’re probably not going to finish. Composure in clutch situations, that’s what it takes.”
Confidence also can enhance intuition, according to Danville senior forward/midfielder Danni Bishop, who made a verbal commitment to play soccer at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Bishop led the state in scoring last season with 52 goals and owns the Danville school record for career goals scored. Through her team’s opening five games this year, she had found the back of the net 140 times in high school.
“You have to be in the right place at the right time, and it helps to be confident with your surroundings,” Bishop said. “If you can sense where the ball is going to end up – whether it’s a pass from one of your teammates or a reflected ball – you’ll be in a better position to score.
“Intuition isn’t really something you can teach; it just has to come naturally.”
Aside from the mental aspects of goal scoring, elite offensive players also need to possess the right combination of physical traits, some of which could include size, speed, strength and quickness.
Size allows them to see over defenders and get to headers deep in opposing territory. Strength comes in handy when being swarmed by numerous defenders. Speed can be used on a long scoring run. Quickness supplies that burst of energy needed to get free for an open shot.
“You have to take advantage of your physical abilities,” said Petts, who started the season with 19 goals and 11 assists in Zionsville’s first seven games. “You can turn your strengths into a defender’s weakness.”
Another key to scoring is perseverance.
“You can’t ever stop working. If you do, you could miss an opportunity,” said Goss, who led Martinsville with 14 goals through seven games. “There have been times when I thought, ‘Gosh, it’s just not my day, and I’m not going to make a shot.’ But you have to stick with it and keep trying. Scoring goals is all about hard work, commitment and determination.”
Although offensive players get most of the attention and fanfare, Leyden said his teammates usually make it possible to score.
“Without the distribution of our backs and the two midfielders behind them, I would never get the ball; and the forwards make a lot of great runs, which creates space for me,” he said. “When you have talented players around you, it really helps because the opposing team can’t just focus on one guy.”
Whether someone uses a strong mental approach, physical attributes or a tireless work ethic – or all the above – the sensation of joy after scoring a goal makes it worthwhile.
“You feel so much relief, almost like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders,” Bishop said. “It’s such a good feeling, one that never gets old.”
Petts agreed: “You never get tired of it,” he said. “Your adrenaline starts pumping, and even if you’re dead tired, you find enough energy to run around the field and celebrate.”
Bishop expects a new generation of goal scorers to emerge throughout Central Indiana in the upcoming years.
“I really think soccer is a growing sport in this area,” she said. “Kids start when they’re young, fall in love with it and want to keep playing. It’s going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.”
And offensive players will continue to find new ways to keep scoring, scoring, scoring. •
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