Quick on their feet: A goalkeeper’s guide to saving a penalty

Alexis Washington, Contributing Writer 

Shot stop ability, ability to handle crosses into the box and a great communicator are qualities of an efficient goalkeeper, according to VCU women’s soccer head coach Lindsey Martin. 

A goalkeeper must be both physically and mentally prepared to stop goals, particularly during penalty kicks, according to University of Richmond staff psychologist Rachel Turk.

A penalty kick is a free kick given to the player who has been fouled in the penalty box, according to Soccer.com. 

Here are four key components that goalkeepers need to save a penalty:

• Proper stance 

A keeper’s stance is a key part in stopping a PK. It is all about body position and reaction time, according to VCU women’s fourth-year goalkeeper Allison Karpovich. 

“I keep my feet shoulder width apart and like to be light on my toes ready to go,” Karpovich said.

Now that the body is set, it’s game time. Karpovich said she sits on the line and messes with her gloves. She takes her time and makes the opposing team wait until she steps up.

Once a keeper steps up to the goal line for a PK, their body should have a good center of gravity to receive the striking ball, according to men’s redshirt sixth-year goalkeeper John Ermini. 

It’s simple, just “stay balanced and stay forward,” Ermini said.

• Reaction time

PKs occur 11 meters away from the center of the goal, according to the Olympics website. 

Keepers have limited time to react to the ball during a PK, according to Ermini.

“You have half a second before you can make a decision if you’re gonna dive, move your feet or catch it,” Ermini said. 

Reaction time requires making fast split decisions, according to Ermini.

“Should I stay for a ball to come out?” Ermini said. “Should I go down for one or stay up?”

• Body language 

You can read the opponent’s body language in the way their hips are positioned, according to Karpovich. 

“Once they step up, I look at their hips to see which way they are facing,” Karpovich said. “If their hips are closed, they are going to the right and if their hips are open they are going to the left.”

It’s also necessary to study and scout the opposing team’s penalty kicker before every game, Ermini said. 

“If they shoot 60% of the time to the left and 40% to the right, then I am going to want to go to the left hand side,” Ermini said. 

Reading a player is a mind game, Ermini said. A lot of them like to fake you out, but you have to ignore it, and focus on how their body is facing, according to Ermini.

• Stress relief techniques 

Not only does a keeper have to be physically trained, but mentally as well.  They hear a lot of different voices from fans to coaches and referees, according to University of Richmond staff psychologist Rachel Turk.There are three exercises goalkeepers can do to relieve stress during a game, according to Turk:

1. Stay calm. Keepers should keep their heart rate under control because it will affect some of their fine motor skills. You can do that with deep breathing exercises.
2. Keep your mind clear. Do not focus on what is going wrong in the present moment. Instead, focus on what decisions need to be made
3. Control the game. There are going to be a lot of things a keeper cannot control, especially in a PK. It’s important to focus on what you can control and trust in your training.

“I think goalkeepers are in a really unique situation where they are kind of that last line of defense,” Turk said. “And if it’s in a penalty kick situation, they are the only line of defense.”