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11/20/2018 11:00 PMTyler Hoadley is an emerging talent on the Shoreline Conference boys’ soccer circuit. Tyler recently completed his sophomore season as the starting goalie for the Westbrook boys’ soccer team. While the young Knights finished with a record of 4-12, Tyler gained tons of valuable experience between the bars this fall. Tyler finished with 161 saves and posted four shutouts in a campaign that saw him take the field alongside Westbrook’s veterans in all 16 games.
“I try to not consider myself as an underclassman, and see myself on equal footing with the seniors. While I’m playing, I’m just focusing on the game, locking in, and getting into game mode,” Tyler says. “I love making penalty-kick saves and stopping shots on goal that go to the upper 90 of the net. Making quick-reaction saves are the best ever.”
There’s a lot of pressure on the shoulders of goalies, especially ones who are stepping into the varsity net for the first time like Tyler was this year. When things sped up on the field, Tyler maintained his focus, so he could come up with the big save in the clutch.
“In that moment, I just see the ball and everything slows down,” says Tyler. “I then see the ball clearly and know where it will go adjacent to the net and just make the save.”
Tyler wasn’t one of Westbrook’s captains, although he still viewed himself as a leader on the team. Tyler knows that playing goal puts him in prime position to talk to his defenders as they try to steer the ball out of harm’s way.
“The amazing parts of being a goalie are rallying the team up and making saves,” Tyler says. “I see myself as almost a captain because of my position, and it’s great to communicate with the team and help the team compose itself.”
If something does go wrong, Tyler simply shakes off the mistake and gets ready for the next whistle.
“Some of the tougher spots are if we are down in a game or I’m getting ready to save a penalty kick,” Tyler says. “Another tough thing is if I make a bad call to teammates that ends up leading to a goal scored and it falls on me.”
Head Coach Gerald Carlone feels that Tyler has plenty of potential as a netminder. Carlone credits Tyler for the energy that he brings to the pitch, along with his fast-acting reflexes.
“Tyler is an intense player. He only goes one speed: all out all the time,” says Carlone. “He still has room to grow as a player. He’s an impressive keeper and makes reaction saves. He keeps out the shots that he should.”
After graduating many seniors from last year, Westbrook went through its fair share of growing pains this season. However, Tyler also believes that the Knights made a great deal of progress, and he’s eager to see how they will shape up in 2019.
“We were a senior-heavy team last year, but we started some guys in the other classes, and losing those seniors had a huge effect on us this year,” says Tyler. “We’re definitely developing and recognized our strong suits this year. Our goal is to have a positive year next season, grow together, and get better.”