Everybody Soccer's 2015 NCAA Save of the Year

cover photo belongs to Jesus Hidalgo

Congrats to EJ Proctor for winning the save of the year contest with an overwhelming 44%! Scroll down to see the clutch save!

Everybody Soccer is proud to announce the first ever NCAA Save of the Year award. We have fifteen saves but only one is worthy of earning the title "NCAA Save of the Year". Watch each save and then scroll to the bottom to vote. You can vote for just one or as many as you like, if you can't narrow done to one.

1. Erika Yohn (Purdue vs. Missouri)

Yohn dives over and around her fallen defender to clip the shot towards the post, then jumps on the rebound. 

 

2. Julie Eckel (Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech)

Got to love the hands here. Somebody email Eckel to find out what glove brand she uses.

 

3. Caroline Casey (William & Mary vs. Georgetown)

The way Casey wouldn't have reached the shot is if it went five feet over the crossbar.

4. Micah Bledsoe (Lipscomb vs. Louisville)

Bledsoe tracks the ball well and goes against his momentum to make the save on the quick shot. It might not look tough but this is a play that most goalkeepers will whiff on.

5. Todd Morton (Delaware vs. Elon)

Two for the price of one. Morton goes high to stop the first shot then makes a Gordon Banks-esque save off the line to prevent the second.

6. JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown vs. UCLA)

Can't have a save of the year list without a free kick stop. The freshman goalkeeper does a good job to hold onto the ball as well.

7. Michael Breslin (UC Irvine vs. Creighton)

Breslin has a great stare down to make this truly in-your-face save. Breslin gets sets like a cowboy in the west and executes perfectly on the play.

8. Matt Bersano (Penn State vs. Indiana)

Most penalty saves are the same but Bersano guessing the right way isn't enough here. He completely stretches out and goes high with his hands to stop the assumed scoring chance.

9. Jeff Caldwell (Virginia vs. Notre Dame)

Caldwell's reflexes are just enough on this bullet of a shot before sending it into the stratosphere. (Click here for the video, if the gif is too grainy.)

10. Kendall McIntosh (Santa Clara vs UC Riverside)

McIntosh saves Santa Clara with a scramble on the goal line with not one but two saves.

11. Colin Webb (Indiana vs. Maryland)

One second left? No problem. Webb makes a late save to push for overtime.

12. Brenden Alfery (Robert Morris vs. Eastern Illinois)

Alfery retreats back to the goal to turn a bizarre goal into a bizarre save. It's a little awkward, but Alfery displays a stunning awareness and determination to stop the deflected goal. (Video automatically starts at 0:46 for the save.)

13. EJ Proctor (Duke vs. Florida State)

The Seminoles come close here but the deflection doesn't trick Proctor. Oh, and yeah, this was in the NCAA semifinal against number one ranked Florida State. (Click here for another angle to see how fast the play unfolds.)

14 and 15: Andrew Tarbell and Fernando Pina (Clemson vs. Coastal Carolina)

Two great saves in one game. First, Andrew Tarbell steps back to his line to get set for an extension in the first half. (Save at 0:07 in video.)

In overtime, Pina gets low on a 1v1 by kicking his legs out and shooting out his right hand to tip away the potential golden goal. (Pina's save is at 0:55.)

 

 

Struggling to vote for just one? Feel free to vote for as many as you deem worthy for Save of the Year. One, two, or fifteen! You can vote up to once a day. Voting ends Sunday night.

What was the best save from the 2015 NCAA season?
1. Erika Yohn (Purdue vs. Missouri)
2. Julie Eckel (Tennesse vs. Virginia Tech
3. Caroline Casey (William and Mary vs. Georgetown)
4. Micah Bledsoe (Lipscomb vs. Louisville)
5. Todd Morton (Delaware vs. Elon)
6. JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown vs. UCLA)
7. Michael Breslin (UC Irvine vs. Creighton)
8. Matt Bersano (Penn State vs. Indiana)
9. Jeff Caldwell (Virginia vs. Notre Dame)
10. Kendall McIntosh (Santa Clara vs. UC Riverside)
11. Colin Webb (Indiana vs. Maryland)
12. Brenden Alfery (Robert Morris vs. Eastern Illinois)
13. EJ Proctor (Duke vs. Florida State)
14. Andrew Tarbell (Clemson vs. Coastal Carolina)
15. Fernando Pina (Coastal Carolina vs. Clemson)
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Global Soccer Network on American Goalkeepers

Global Soccer Network is a stat-driven scouting program that surveys over 340,000 soccer players in the world. They use a variety of tools to analyze players and provide an overall rating for a player, called the GSN Index. The GSN Index is centered on four different stats. Pulled from their site, they are:

1. SRC - Soccer Related Characteristics. The basis for the GSN Index is the evaluation and rating of different characteristics (over 70) which are essential for players. Every player will be evaluated by several scouts independently, in order to achieve the most possible objectivity. The assessment includes technical, tactical, mental and physical characteristics.

2. +/- statistic - Based on their performance data players receive plus scores for positive actions during the game (goals, assists, penalties saves, complete passes etc.) For negative actions players receive minus scores (own goals, red cards, incomplete passes etc.) The 100 value represents a balanced +/- statistic. If the value is higher than 100 then the player has had more positive actions than negative actions. If, however, the value is smaller than 100, then the player has had more negative than positive actions.

3. Potential - Various factors are taken into consideration which influence the development of the player, such as the quality of coaches and football education, learning ability and age, just to name a few. Starting value is 0.00 (no further development in the future). The scale is open at the top. The higher the value the higher the potential.

4. Level of Play - With our system it is possible to rate and analyze every match a player has played in his entire career. Every match gets rated on a scale between 1 and 20. 20 for example is a world cup final or UEFA Champions League final while values under 1 are mostly youth leagues or non-professional leagues. The system also differentiates other factors like the age of a player or the minutes on the pitch. (for example, a player which is 18 years old and plays 90 minutes in a German Bundesliga match, gets a higher rating than a 30 year old player with the same minutes on the pitch in German Bundesliga) The higher the level of play is, the more positive is it for the GSN Index.

Current Future SRC +/- Potential LOP Current+
Brad Guzan 424 488 79.2 128.04 2.68 11 115.73
Tim Howard 415 448 73.5 136.36 0 12.04 125.37
Sean Johnson 327 406 71.3 127.08 9.78 6.91 123.26
Bill Hamid 312 409 68.1 128.82 9.75 6.8 130
Steve Clark 309 364 67.9 126.64 5.15 7.53 121.14
Ethan Horvath 286 384 65.8 133.82 14.95 4.9 120.25
Luis Robles 283 358 68.4 129.04 0 6.6 132.43
William Yarbrough 276 418 70.4 127.67 2.13 5.5 126.58
Clint Irwin 276 368 66.2 129.17 7.92 5.5 127.49
Zac MacMath 270 356 66.5 126.61 9.59 5 121.27
Tally Hall 263 364 69.1 129.58 1.59 5 125.28
David Bingham 263 351 65.8 133.2 5.36 5.01 136.59
Bobby Shuttleworth 255 298 65.7 128.21 4.38 5 128.52
Tyler Deric 251 354 68.0 127.02 2.94 4.5 123.3
Dan Kennedy 250 348 67.5 124.68 0.89 5 132.4
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Quentin Westberg 299 373 64.0 140.65 5.54 7 157.56
David Yelldell 263 299 68.6 129.18 0 5.4 129.18
Jon Kempin 258 340 62.7 116.37 19.35 4.61 109.71
Jeff Attinella 254 341 66.1 130.16 5.79 4.51 144.6
Kevin Piedrahita 251 323 59.8 133.56 17.95 4.01 152.63
Santiago Castano 247 328 61.6 123.22 18.49 3.9 120.86
Cody Cropper 243 321 60.5 123.82 17.79 4 108
Brad Stuver 235 304 64.1 115.05 10.84 4.1 111

Current - Current GSN Index
Future - Future GSN Index, as extracted from the current score
SRC - see above
(+/-) - see above
Potential - see above
Current+ - The current +/- stat, used to see how in form a player is

The table is sorted by the Future score and all the numbers can be found on the players' respective card. I separated the table in between Shuttleworth and Kennedy as there is a lack of enough minutes for the lower section to really be involved. (GSN doesn't track USL.)

There are some interesting patterns between the twenty-three goalkeepers.

1. SRC has a stronger correlation with the future GSN Index, not potential.

I thought this was odd as William Yarbrough's future score was higher than Hamid's despite having much less potential and a lower current GSN Index. I messaged Dustin at GSN to ask him about the correlation between potential and future GSN.

The potential is only related to the SRC score. We are rating over 70 attributes which are essential for soccer players and how these 70 attributes of a player will develop in the future.

The Future GSN Index takes many different factors into consideration. The potential is only a small part of it. There are other various factors. Is a player playing for a national team? How was his footballing education? His age? How capable is a player competing on a higher level and many? It also checks other players with similar values and how they have developed over the years.

So you are right. There is not much correlation between the potential score and the Future GSN Index because the potential score only depends on the SRC and the Future GSN Index depends on a lot of different factors.

So GSN is predicting that WPY has a much larger upside than the rest of the bunch, despite playing worse than many of them until now.

2. GSN really likes Sean Johnson and Quentin Westberg and isn't so high on Ethan Horvath.

Horvath may be getting hurt from his relatively low level of play. Even though he has played in Europa League matches, it appears the Norwegian league isn't rated any higher than MLS. Johnson has a much larger future rating than expected and Westberg's level of play is somewhere in between EPL and MLS level, although his sample size isn't quite fleshed out.

3. GSN says Brad Guzan is not playing well at the moment while Luis Robles is.

His career +/- is 128, a middling score when compared to the rest, but his current score is dead last in the top section. Surely part of this has to do with Aston Villa's train wreck of a season but apparently GSN thinks he is partly to blame. Luis Robles, on the other hand, is leading all American goalkeepers with a current +/- of 132.

 

For more information on GSN, contact them on Twitter at info_gsn.

Mason Stajduhar Interview: Goalkeeper Skips College for Homegrown Contract

Mason Stajduhar, a four-star rated recruit by Top Drawer Soccer, was recently committed to South Florida until Orlando City Soccer Club offered him a homegrown contract back in November. Stajduhar talks about the process of going from college to pro and his plans for the future. Watch the videos of his highlights and his time with the U20s at the bottom.

 

You were originally committed to South Florida to play your freshmen year this next fall. What other schools were you looking at and what made USF stand out for you?

USF, Northwestern, UCONN, Wake Forest, Penn State, and Hartford. USF stood out for me because of the head coach, George Kiefer, and the goalkeeper coach, Bryheem Hancock.


With the contract, obviously plans changed. When you committed, did you think a contract was still a possibility or was it a little more of a surprise when it was offered?

To be honest I hadn't even thought about a contract when I committed to USF. But after awhile of training with the [Orlando City] first team it seemed likely that something was in the works. 

I don't think I realized there was something besides college then pro. I had played for non-professional clubs in Connecticut (Oakwood SC) and Florida (Chargers SC) my whole life. So I thought that college then pro was the only option. Once Orlando became an MLS side I decided to join them beginning my first year of U-18 and the goal was to get a contract at some point. And it all happened really quickly when I started training with the first team.


What specifically intrigued you about Orlando City to sign with them?

Orlando City is a great club and a really exciting place to be right now. This is the place I wanted to start my career and they gave the opportunity to do that. 


Talk about Tim Mulqueen, your goalkeeper coach who has worked with a number of young goalkeepers. What about him sets him apart and helps you as a goalkeeper to continue to develop?

Mulchy is the best. Besides the vast knowledge on goalkeeping he has taught me and how much better I've gotten under him, he allowed me to see what I was capable of and showed me that there aren't any limits. He will always be a great mentor and coach for me.


You’ve spent time with multiple USYNT camps. What was the jump like from DA to playing with the USYNT?

The players are better physically and technically with the YNTs and the game happens faster. But it's still the same sport the DA plays.


Five years from now, what's the dream scenario for you?

Already made my first senior US Appearance, and be one of the best (if not the best) goalkeeper in MLS. Similar to Tim Howard's first five years, hopefully.

2015 NCAA Goalkeeper Discussion

cover photo belongs to Max Petrosky

Last year I spoke with Alex Bono, Spencer Richey, Pat Wall, and Adam Grinwis about their time in school and their plans after graduating. This year we have four seniors trying to make the jump to the professional game. Penn State's Matt Bersano just finished his final year of eligibility after playing three years at Oregon State, as well as time with PDL side Lane United and the Real Salt Lake academy team. Ashkan Khosravi is an Iranian-American at UC Riverside who I spoke with earlier in the year about his journey to the US. Ohio State goalkeeper Chris Froschauer had some national exposure after topping his previous school, Dayton, in penalty kicks and reaching the Sweet 16. Lastly there is Michael Breslin from UC Irvine, who was named Honorable Mention in the Big West for his senior year.

 

Entering college, were you dead set on going to your school from the start or were you close to signing with another school?

Ashkan Khosravi, UC Riverside: Although I talked to many other colleges, I verbally committed to UCR early, around December of my senior year in high school. So I made my decision early and stuck to it.

Chris Froschauer, Ohio State: I was not dead set on attending a certain school whereas I came from a smaller club and had to look around a lot more. I visited around 8 different schools that were interested in me and made my decision from there.

Michael Breslin, UC Irvine: I was in contact with several schools before making my final decision to attend UCI. UCI would provide me with a top-level education and is nationally recognized and awarded University. The men's soccer team had competed every year as a top ranked Division I level team. And my twin brother and I both received interest by the coaching staff at UCI, and therefore could continue to play on the same team together throughout both of our collegiate careers.

Matt Bersano, Penn State: I committed very early in the process, before being a member of RSL's academy team my senior year of high school. While I was confident in my own abilities, playing for only a club team made me feel as if not many programs better than Oregon State or Marquette would get a chance to watch me play so I committed to OSU. During my senior season I received a number of scholarship offers from big time schools but wanted to be a man of my word and play out my fours years at the place I verbally committed to from the start. I liked the path OSU had for me and enjoyed the idea of playing for the team sooner than some of the other schools promised in the recruiting new process. 

Bersano played with Oregon State for three years before starting his masters program at Penn State.


Sell us on the advantages of going to college, staying for four years, and then trying to enter the professional scene. Why not leave early and try to get plugged into a professional team somewhere?

Bersano: Minutes. Apart from the obvious training every day with your school, playing games is what makes college so great for goalkeepers trying to play professionally. Anywhere from 18-24 games in the fall, 4-8 spring games, then 7-10 with a PDL club in the summer gets you minutes that are a necessity for the development of a young goalkeeper. If you're in the position where a professional club wants you to come in and make an immediate impact on the field, then by all means go for it. In my five years, I've played 66 full division one matches, 12 spring games, and 15 PDL matches. I've seen way too many young goalkeepers not touch the field in the first three years of their professional career as a homegrown. 

Khosravi: Staying in college opens up many other doors to new opportunities, and teaches you many life lessons that you won’t be able to learn anywhere else. There is always a chance of injuries in any sport. Having a college degree offers back of plans.

Froschauer: I believe the advantages of staying in college for four years are that you gain experience. If you are to enter a pro scene earlier than that unless you gain the starting role there is a good chance that you will not see game experience which as a keeper is critical to development. 

Breslin: I redshirted my first year in college and ended up staying a total of five years overall to finish my soccer career and also to complete my degree in electrical engineering. The biggest advantage in staying for the full four years is having a college degree when you exit college. An injury could sideline any player’s career and having a technical degree from college is always something positive to have.

 

Most top collegiate goalkeepers play in the PDL in the spring to complement their season. How did you spend your off-season and what kept you prepared for the fall collegiate season?

Froschauer after saving the winning penalty in the tournament game against Dayton

Froschauer after saving the winning penalty in the tournament game against Dayton

Froschauer: I spent my off-season and summers playing every year. My first summer after freshman  year I played for the Columbus Crew U19/U20 team and lived in Columbus. My second summer I played for Reading United PDL and we had a very good team with seven or eight kids getting drafted from that team. And this past summer, due to my transfer to Ohio State, I had to take summer classes but still was able to play at a local team in the area. Playing over the summer is a blast. You get to meet a ton of new guys and it’s something I would definitely recommend.

Khosravi: I never got a chance to play PDL during my off-seasons due to some injuries and some school stuff. But I mostly spent my summers training with my old academy goalkeeper coach in Dallas and this past summer (before my senior year) I got a chance to train with the Seattle Sounders for a week.

Breslin: I spent some of my time in the off-season training with a few of the local PDL teams but I spent the majority of my time at UCI training with my teammates. I focused on building and strengthening relationships with my teammates for the upcoming season. The majority of this training time consisted of taking hours of shots from my teammates and also playing extremely competitive small sided games. I also dedicated my time in the off-season to getting into peak physical shape because, in my opinion, this helps prevent injuries for any player for the upcoming fall season.

Bersano: When I was younger and battling with injuries, I didn't like the idea of PDL. I wanted the break for my body and a time to go home. In my last two off-seasons, I've spent the summers playing PDL and have had such a good time. The off-season is a good time to bounce around some MLS clubs while still trying to get some minutes in a decent league. This last off-season, I spent a month in Spain training with a few pro sides over there before heading back to Oregon to play with Lane United FC. I've had good experiences on and off the field during these summers and would recommend playing PDL for any goalkeeper trying to stay sharp for an incoming fall. Make sure to take a break at some point though, the body and the mind will both need it. 

 

Talk about the your team and the season.  Where did your team succeed and where did they struggle?

Breslin: Our team dealt with a lot of adversity throughout the season. We succeeded in several games in scoring goals and staying strong defensively, and also fought our way into the Big West Conference Tournament. We struggled in the fact that we were never truly one hundred percent healthy. Many players, including myself, battled injuries throughout the entire season and we lost several key players to injuries throughout the year.

Bersano: The season didn't go the way we wanted it to during my final season at Penn State. We were a very possession oriented team and at times played the most beautiful kind of soccer but we struggled to gel in the backline. The entire backline and goalkeeper situation, myself included, were completely new players compared to last year’s team. We played some great soccer going forward but failed to be attentive in some of the basics, like marking on a corner or hitting away a clearance high and wide. That caught up to us nearly every game as the season continued.

Khosravi: My last season at UCR was by far the worst season out of all four. Nothing went our way this year. We started the year with high expectations because of the many talented and experienced individuals on our team, but we never found a way to play well as a team. As much as I was disappointed about my last season and the way I ended my college career, I can look back and see myself, and these past four years as a big part of UCR soccer history. We won the first ever trophy in UCR soccer history, got ranked nationally for the first time (19th in the nation), won ten games in a season for the first time in our program, and many other records that were broken individually by me and as a team.

Froschauer: We wound up having a very good year at Ohio State. We got off to a slow start whereas we didn't really have an identity and I think we were a little overconfident. We thought we were going to be able to take the field and beat teams easily. We quickly found out that was not the case and had to figure out our identity which was to defend strongly for 90 minutes and control the game the way we wanted to and beat teams 1-0 or 2-0. The back four and I took a lot of pride in keeping a clean sheet. We then turned things around and made a great run winning the Big Ten and advancing in the NCAA. 

 

What’s the last goal scored on you and what do you take from it moving forward?

Khosravi: The last goal I got scored on was on my senior night against Cal State Fullerton. That game meant nothing to our team, as we had no chance of advancing to the playoffs going into that game. It was a sad night. I guess what I learn from it is to try and make sure I never experience a night like that again.

Froschauer: The last goal scored on me was against Stanford in the Sweet 16. We were losing 2-1 in the 88th minute and we were going for it, and they wound up getting a goal on the counter with a minute left.

Bersano: The last goal scored on me was an 88th minute game winner at Michigan State in a 2-1 Big Ten match. This goal means a lot to me because essentially it was the end of our season and any chance of making the NCAA tournament, apart from some heroic performance in the Big Ten tournament. Looking at this goal from a technical side, I was able to work with my goalkeeper coach before leaving Penn State about improving my footwork and overall approach to these 1v1 situations that require more bravery than anything else. 

Breslin: The last goal scored on me was a penalty kick at UC Riverside. Unfortunately, that game would be the last of my UCI career, due to an ankle injury I suffered later in that same game. Being injured for the final games of my fifth season at UCI was extremely difficult to deal with. I take from the last goal that was scored on me, and that game at Riverside itself, that players and goalkeepers alike should appreciate the game and the college soccer experience.

 

Is playing professionally abroad a goal of yours or are you more interested in staying stateside? What’s a dream club scenario for you in five years?

Bersano: Playing professionally abroad is definitely a goal of mine, but it is not a necessity. I'd like to play anywhere that wants me. If that means an opportunity to join an MLS side and ride that out that's great. If I'm getting more interest from a European club, then getting on a plane is a move I am very prepared to make. Five years down the line, I want to be an established veteran in the MLS with significant minutes under my belt. I don't have any allegiance in the states when it comes to a club because I am just happy to even be able to communicate with these teams in the pursuit of making my dreams my reality. But I'd hope five years down the line I'm pushing down the door for being a Captain of an MLS side. 

Khosravi: Playing professionally is still a goal, in the US or anywhere else. I believe a dream club scenario, for me and any other soccer player, would be to play for a top club in Europe. But we all know that doesn’t happen often especially to players growing up in the US. So I guess a realistic dream scenario would be playing for a MLS side or a first division club in any other country. 

Breslin: I'm interested in both the possibility of playing stateside and the possibility of playing overseas. I have been in contact with several USL teams lately and look forward to the possibility of continuing my goalkeeping career beyond college. A dream club scenario would be to become a starting goalkeeper for one of the MLS teams in five years time.

Froschauer: Playing abroad would not be something I am opposed to after college. I would love to have the opportunity to play after college whether it be in the states or overseas, it's an opportunity to continue to play the game you love. In five years I would say a dream club or opportunity would be having the opportunity to start for a team in MLS. 

 

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