As a member of the Penn State women’s soccer team, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was a part of 33 shutouts.
During her ninth start for the Boston Breakers on Aug. 4, Naeher recorded her first professional shutout against the Atlanta Beat.
Naeher was taken 11th overall in the 2010 Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft by Boston. Playing with high-level competition has always been a goal of Naeher’s.
“It’s obviously a passion of mine and something that I’ve been working hard for, for a long, long time,” Naeher said. “And, to finally be able to step on the field as a professional athlete is a dream come true. It’s exciting and makes me want to keep working hard to get better and better and to continue to grow.”
Naeher has started ten games this season and maintains a 1.08 goals against average, putting her ahead of players such as Atlanta Beat goalkeeper Hope Solo, who started for the United States Olympic team and won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing games.
While the transition from college to the professional ranks is not always easy, Naeher has established herself as a solid starter in WPS.
“The most difficult thing is just adjusting to the speed of play and the level of talent that every person in the league possesses,” Naeher said. “Everything is just a half second faster and everybody is just a step quicker and that is probably the biggest adjustment that I have had to make.”
During Naeher’s run as goalkeeper, the Breakers have a record of 6-3 and are currently riding a three-game winning streak. Boston is currently third in the standings.
“Every game is competitive and every game is close and just another step that we need to take to get ourselves into an even better playoff position,” Naeher said.
While Boston attempts to improve its league standing, Naeher’s strong play has already gained Breakers’ coach Tony DiCicco’s attention. DiCicco, who won the World Cup as the head coach of the 1999 U.S. women’s team, said Naeher has been making a lot of solid plays while also experiencing some mistakes that will help her grow as a player.
“She has the ability to make the special save,” DiCicco said. “She has great athleticism, really good range and right now she is doing a very, very good job for us in goal. She is helping us win games.”
While Naeher possesses great physical talents, DiCicco believes her personality also helps play into her role as goalkeeper.
DiCicco noted that Naeher is well liked and has a calm about her that transcends to the position of goalkeeper. He said that she is not a high strung person and that is a good quality to have as a goalkeeper.
While Naeher just recently became a starter and was not a 2010 WPS All-Star, her coach believes that being named to the team in future years is a good possibility.
If the Breakers continue to experience success this year and do well in the playoffs, DiCicco believes that Naeher should be in the running for Rookie of the Year.
DiCicco added that Naeher could transition her performance in WPS to the international level.
“Probably the next step for her is to get back on the women’s national team and make a run for the 2011 World Cup and the 2012 Olympics,” DiCicco said. “I think that she is very capable of doing that as well.”