Preseason NCAA Goalkeeper Rankings - Women's 2016

cover photo belongs to Karen Ambrose Hickey/stanfordphoto.com

Senior

1. Jane Campbell (Stanford) - 21.5
2. Holly Van Noord (Liberty) - 22
3. Tarah Hobbs (Minnesota) - 21.2
4. Taylor Francis (Pittsburgh) - 21.4
5. Lauren Watson (Texas Tech) - 22.7
6. Katie Nickles (Rhode Island) - 21.5
7. Hannah Seabert (Pepperdine) - 21.6
8. Ashton McKeown (Long Beach State) - 21.7
9. Sammy Jo Prudhomme (USC) - 22.5
10. Emily Armstrong (Connecticut) - 21.6

What to watch for: Campbell was one of three goalkeepers named to the Hermann watchlist but realistically she'll probably have to lead Stanford to a national championship to win the award. Although Stanford did reach the Elite Eight last year. Van Noord looks to build off last year's run and get Liberty back to the tournament this year. McKeown and Prudhomme teamed up for only three goals in WPSL play for SoCal FC and will look to replicate the performance this fall for their respective schools.

Junior

1. Kaylyn Smith (Washington) - 20.6
2. Kat Elliott (South Florida) - 20.7
3. Caitlyn Clem (Wisconsin) - 21.9
4. EJ Proctor (Duke) - 20.3
5. Catalina Perez (Miami) - 21.8
6. Erika Yohn (Purdue) - 20.3
7. Lexi Nicholas (Notre Dame) - 20.5
8. Katie Hatziyianis (Binghamton) - 19.9
9. Cassidy Babin (Massachusetts) - 19.8
10. Megan Hinz (Michigan) - 20.7

What to watch for: Virginia Tech will surely miss Kaylyn Smith, who transfers to Washington for the fall. EJ Proctor led Duke to the final, before falling to Penn State. Colombian goalkeeper, Catalina Perez, played against the US last World Cup so the ACC should be a breeze in comparison. Clem and Wisconsin went 8-2-1 in the Big Ten last fall but still fell short of the tournament and will be looking to end their season on a different note this year.

Sophomore

1. Katelyn Jensen (Maryland) - 19.6
2. Sarah Le Beau (Auburn) - 20.6
3. Kaelyn Johns (Dayton) - 19.4
4. Ella Dederick (Washington State) - 20.1
5. Nonie Frishette (Wake Forest) - 19.1
6. Lainey Burdett (Arizona) - 19.7
7. Amanda Poertner (Idaho) - 19.7
8. Alexis Smith (UC Davis) - 20.3
9. Olivia Swenson (North Dakota) - 19.6
10. Kelsey Ponder (Arkansas State) - 19.6

What to watch for: Jensen started 19 games as a true freshmen for Kentucky but has since transferred to Maryland to replace outgoing senior Rachelle Beanlands. Auburn and Le Beau reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Florida State and could make a similar run in 2016. Some smaller schools slip into the 7-10 slots but don't overlook their goalkeeping.

Freshmen

1. Brooke Heinsohn (Duke) - 18.4
2. Brittany Wilson (Denver) - 18.9
3. Cassidy Smith (BYU) - 19.6
4. Regan Gibbs (Kansas) - 19.6
5. Lauren Rood (Stanford) - 18.8
6. Teagan Micah (UCLA) - 18.8
7. Gretchen Cagle (Troy) - 19.8
8. Amanda Dennis (Penn State) - 18.3
9. Alex Qualls (Boise State) - 19.3
10. Morgan Beans (Virginia) - 19.7

What to watch for: It's very hard to say anything definitive with a group that has yet to play a minute for their school. A handful bring in YNT experience, including Australian international Teagan Micah. Wilson, Rood, and Dennis all have spent time with US youth programs and Heinsohn just won the WPSL final with the Boston Breakers Reserves.

Preseason NCAA Goalkeeper Rankings - Men's 2016

Seniors

1. Eric Klenofsky (Monmouth) - 21.9
2. Alec Ferrell (Wake Forest) - 22.4
3. Grayson Rector (Belmont) - 22
4. Alex McCauley (NC State) - 22
5. Kyle Ihn (Green Bay) - 21.7
6. Ricky Brown (Colgate) - 21.6
7. David Greczek (Rutgers) - 21.8
8. Andrew Putna (UIC) - 21.8
9. Alex Gill (Cincinnati) - 22.3
10. Logan Keys (LIU Brooklyn) - 22.2

What to watch for: It's an odd senior class as most of the goalkeepers are playing for smaller schools and only two made the tournament last year. But MLS hasn't shied away from smaller schools so that shouldn't hurt their draft chances per se. That said, Klenofsky and Ferrell lead their class as the main frontrunners. Further down the list, Ihn (Kokomo), Greczek (RBNY), and Putna (Chicago) may not have the publicity as the others but still stayed sharp with their PDL teams.

Juniors

1. Jeff Caldwell (Virginia) - 20.5
2. Bobby Edwards (Saint Joseph's) - 21
3. Ben Lundgaard (Virginia Tech) - 20.9
4. Michael Nelson (SMU) - 21.5
5. Paul Christensen (Portland) - 20.3
6. Andrew Epstein (Stanford) - 20.6
7. Evan Louro (Michigan) - 20.6
8. Pierre Gardan (VCU) - 21.5
9. Cameron Hogg (Buffalo) - 21.1
10. Adrian Remeniuk (Wisconsin) - 20.7

What to watch for: It's hard to miss 6'6" goalkeeper Bobby Edwards but several of these goalkeepers are coming back from spending their summer in the PDL. Michael Nelson did well in OKC, Louro was with the Red Bulls, Remeniuk returned to the Fire, and Caldwell and Christensen went up northwest to the Sounders' PDL squad. Epstein was not in the spotlight at Stanford last year - due to a certain striker up top - but he will look to carry more responsibility as they're defend their national championship.

Sophomores

1. JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown) - 19.3
2. Justin Vom Steeg (UC Santa Barbara) - 19.3
3. Luis Barraza (Marquette) - 19.8
4. Austin Aviza (Syracuse) - 19.5
5. Colin Hanley (Xavier) - 19.8
6. Sam Copp (Western Illinois) - 19.3
7. Jonathan Klinsmann (California) - 19.5
8. Elliott Rubio (Utah Valley) - 20
9. Jacob Jordan (Drexel) - 20.6
10. Ben Willis (Gonzaga) - 20.6

What to watch for: JTM, Vom Steeg, and Klinsmann lead the pack in notoriety as they've all spent time with the U20s but the rest of the class can hold their own. Rubio transfers from Akron and is hoping to lead Utah Valley back to the tournament again. Aviza will have a hard time topping last year's final four run and could split time in goal again. Hanley and Copp might be at small schools but they could end up pushing their programs' further into November than expected.

Freshmen

1. Arie Ammann (Penn State) - 19.8
2. Kevin Silva (UCLA) - 18.6
3. Trevor Wilson (DePaul) - 18.8
4. Parker Siegfried (Ohio State) - 19.5
5. Sawyer Gaffney (Davidson) - 19.3
6. Andrew Romig (North Carolina) - 18.4
7. Jake Gelnovatch (Louisville) - 19.4
8. Ben Hale (Furman) - 18.6
9. Jacob Rooth (Pittsburgh) - 19.3
10. Carter Richardson (Columbia) - 20

What to watch for: Not Will Pulisic going to Duke, unfortunately for college fans. The 18 year old heads to Dortmund with his cousin for the fall. As for the others, it's always tricky with freshmen because we never know who is going to get on the field. How will Ammann look after sitting out a year? Could UCLA look to fix goalkeeping woes with a freshmen? Will Pittsburgh turn to the recent transfer to rebound from a tough season? Keep an eye for the ten, whether it's this year or next.

Haley Kopmeyer Interview: Fourth Year Pro Earning Her Place

cover photo belongs to Seattle Reign FC

Already in her short career, Seattle Reign goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer has made a name for herself in goal. In her second year, she led Seattle on a 16 game unbeaten streak, winning thirteen of the games. Last year she started eleven games for Seattle and was a top goalkeeper in Australia's W-League with the Brisbane Roar. Haley talks about her time with Seattle, training under Hope Solo, and her focus moving forward.

You graduated from the University of Michigan after being with the program for five years. During your time there, you experienced several ups and downs. What stands out looking back at your time? How do you hold the good and bad moments in your memory?

I think my final season really stands out because it was the product of so much work and struggle. I came in with the new coaching staff. We rebuilt the program together and I stood in net as we were bottom of the Big Ten all the way to national contenders. Overall, I'm grateful for how hard we had to all work to rebuild the program because it made the end result that much more gratifying. 

After graduation, you were selected in the fourth round by the Seattle Reign but you've mentioned how you weren't expecting to get drafted. How were you dealing with making the jump to the professional game? Was this something you were intent on achieving or was it a little more on the back burner for you?

After graduation I got a job and was studying to take the LSATs. I think in some ways I had mentally prepared myself to move on but kept struggling with the idea that it was really over. Getting drafted was my sign that my time wasn't up. 

You also talked a lot about Seattle Reign's goalkeeper coach Ben Dragavon working with your movement. If you could coach a young goalkeeper to not develop bad habits with their movement, what specific would you work with them on?

One thing Ben works with us on - and I try to pass on to my keepers - is not taking giants steps that shift our balance to a place that makes goalkeeping harder than it needs to be. If your step on a dive is too big it becomes difficult to push and move quickly.

Not many goalkeepers get to work alongside with the best goalkeeper in the world right out of college. What did you learn from working with Hope Solo that has influenced your game today?

It truly is a honor to come out and train each day with Hope. She is fantastic and is always trying to get better. Hope will watch film to see what she could do better and then go out and perfect whatever it is she thinks needs to be better. Goalkeeping is always evolving and she stays ahead of the game.

Last winter you spent time in Australia with the Brisbane Roar in between NWSL seasons. As only a few players made a similar move as you, what prompted the move? And do you expect to see more players try their hand in Australia or is more of an isolated instance?

I had gotten my feet the off season before playing in Cyprus and knew I wanted to play again. For me it's a chance to get more games and explore the world. I started contacting teams in Australia about the prospect of playing and was fortunate that one panned out. I would absolutely go there (or anywhere!) again. I figure at some point people will stop paying me to kick balls and travel cool places so I may as well take advantage of it now. *laughs*

The NWSL has recently been under fire after the field quality of the Western New York game, where the 18 yard box was maybe a yard or two from the end line. Your teammate Hope Solo put out a post detailing some larger issues with the league. As someone who's played in multiple leagues and seen how it's done overseas, where is women's soccer in America suffering? And what needs to be addressed immediately?

There certainly has been a microscope put on the league since this incident. I think in a lot of ways it was the straw that broke the camels back as far as cutting corners goes for certain clubs and highlights the discrepancy in standards between them. I think there needs to be more checks and balances in place to ensure player safety. I'm lucky to play for a club where the owners are willing to bend over backwards to ensure certain standards are met. The same goes for many MLS-backed clubs. I think there needs to be clearer minimum standards. If clubs aren't willing to spend the money to, at a minimum, take care of the players, they shouldn't be in the league. Maybe that's harsh but it's what it will take for the league to be the best in the world. I don't think we are far off. There are a lot of positives - academies, attendance records, elite players from all over the world - just the overall standard needs to be met by all clubs.

You were injured in the WNY game but the camera angle on the play made it look like you rolled your ankle or just tripped on your own player. What exactly happened on the play and where are you on your rehab?

I suffered a high ankle sprain on the play. I played last weekend and am still rehabbing heavily to get it healthier for next weekend.

As Solo turns 35 later this month, some are already pointing to you as one of the possible replacements for her down the line. How does a player go about handling hearing rumors or expectations like that? Is it simply a distraction you try to block out or is it a goal you're working towards?

I don't know what Hope will do and I think for me it's not something I should think about. She and I have a great working relationship and while her plans may impact what I do down he line, right now I am fully committed to Seattle and my role within the team. I'm trying to soak up every chance I can to learn from her.

Last question, I remember watching a video where you were recording your game day prep and somehow I think you got lost walking to the stadium? When can we expect to see more videos where you're wandering around with a GoPro?

*laughs* I'll have to check with the video team. Nothing currently in the works for the GoPro however I'm going to go shoot hoops with some Storm players next month. We will see how that goes.

College Soccer Makes It to the Big Screen

Everybody Soccer dives deep into unexplored regions of American soccer fandom with this interview. Earlier this year someone created uniforms for college soccer teams - some of which don't actually have varsity teams - and not only posted them online, but also made a trailer for the game. The kits can be downloaded on PES for PS4, and can be seen here in detail.

You've created a pretty nifty project by incorporating college teams into PES. Elaborate on that process. What inspired the project?

Well the project came about when I got PES the first time a couple years ago. Thanks to PES's edit mode I was able to create the teams that weren't there and I'd include some MLS and NASL teams and around PES 2008, as a joke I decided to create UCLA, UVA and Akron, three powerhouses in college soccer. When you go online you can find guides and pre-made kits for almost all the leagues, but not the NCAA.

It really kicked into high gear though, about three years ago when NCAA Football 14 was to become the final installment of the series due to the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. Now there was a huge void, so I began creating SEC and Big 12 schools (non-soccer conferences) and it slowly grew as each new PES allowed more and more detail. As of right now, I have about 80 teams done with many more to come. I'm open to suggestions.

How does someone go about about creating uniforms for college teams, some of which don't even have soccer programs?

Each kit has about a half days worth of research. I look up the school and find their seal, athletic logo, nickname and see how much I can look into their school traditions or what's important to them. Little touches make this project feel special. To add realism I added things like making sure each school had their correct athletic kit manufacturer (Nike, Adidas etc). Most kits have a faded retro logo on their back. Boston College has a "Boston Strong" ribbon. Alabama has faded houndstooth all around. UNC has their classic basketball pattern down the shorts. Ohio State has the football "buckeye" sticker. Nebraska's captain armband is.... corn. I love trying to make each kit seem like it was made by a fan of each school.

And how does someone make a trailer for a game featuring teams that don't exist?

Making the trailer was a bit of a process too since I had to apply the kits and film a handful of games with EVERY team to ensure good clips and variety. It was pretty cool piecing it together with the College GameDay theme, and I actually got pretty pumped when I was finished.

What was the feedback you got on this? Any negative feedback?

I've only just put out the kits, so I haven't heard much feedback. So far all of the reddit comments have been positive so I think there's interest for something like this. It does make me a bit sad that I finally finished my initial teams as the lifespan of PES 2016 is coming to it's end. My only hope is that PES 2017 will have a similar kit input system. But if not, I'm prepared to adapt and update each one.

You used PES instead of FIFA, which I'm assuming is easier to create teams for?

Yes, PES has long had a distinct advantage over FIFA in the customization department. Since PES lacks many of the licenses to large clubs (most notably, the Premiership), they have a long tradition of having editable teams that most users turn into the Bundesliga, MLS, J-League or others. FIFA used to have a "Creation Centre" which was online and I dabbled in it for a while, but it had many limitations and was not brought into next gen consoles. Rumors are that PES 2017 will allow file sharing, so that may make spreading college spirit even easier!

The obvious question is when can we play with the teams? Can users make their own adjustments after downloading them, or are they set as is?

Right now, PES 2016 has a number of league with fictional clubs and all generic fictional players and all you really have to do is save the kit images on this page, to a thumb drive, plug it into your PS4, and download them into the game. PES allows you to alter the pitch, club name, banners and lineups all in game. (For whatever reason, Xbox is not very friendly in general to usb sticks and data sharing.) Users can edit the players to reflect the real life rosters of their school or create a lineup from scratch. The possibilities are endless.

(For more info on uploading kits, watch this video).

What are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on making kits for some of the schools that actually have soccer teams but not huge presences in the football world (which I've mostly finished). So schools like UCSB, Charlotte, William & Mary, UC Irvine, Wake Forest, etc. At this very moment I'm trying to finish the ACC.

What are you plans for future projects?

One of the things I'm trying to do is create retro kits for teams that do (or did) exist, like one of Jorge Campos or David Seaman's crazy outfits, or the 94 demin kits, Manchester United's Newton Heath kit or the NY Cosmos from the 70s.

What's a dream goal of yours?

My dream right now is to get a job working with college soccer in the US. It seems like a fascinating world that is kind of in an odd position right now. Many of the USSF see it as a hindrance to the soccer development of the nation, while others see it as a great weapon if only a few aspects where changed. I feel as the country becomes more acquainted with soccer, the college game will have to adapt or be left behind.

My dream of dreams would be the SEC picking up men's soccer! If it could find an audience, it would be a game-changer as that conference has so much money and so many crazy fans that want to win, win, win.

Lastly, where can people find you online to stay in touch with your work?

You can find me on twitter @RTRtheChief, I'm a recent graduate of the University of Alabama (no men's soccer, sad) and freelance graphic design and videography. If anyone has any requests for a college, I'm more than happy to give it a shot. Just let me know what things are special to you school and I'll try to incorporate as much as possible.

Most of the teams' kits have been uploaded to the Facebook page, which you can see here.