When the Western Carolina women’s soccer team needed a backup goalkeeper, Catamount softball player Lauren Ross answered the call ? even though she had not played the sport since kicking the ball around as a seven-year-old.
Depleted at the netminder position earlier this season, WCU women’s soccer head coach Tammy DeCesare started asking other athletic teams if they might have a player that could come out for the squad just in case the Catamounts’ starting goalkeeper Caitlin Williams was injured.
“We had an unlucky streak in the net and were down to one keeper after our second regular season game,” said DeCesare. “We still had a lot of games to get through.”
DeCesare was looking for an athlete with great reaction time and WCU softball head coach Christine Hornack recommended Ross.
“I told Christine that I would know in 10 minutes whether or not she would be okay for the job, so we didn’t waste her time,” said DeCesare. “She’s got a great frame, good stature ? she’s 5-11 -- and if nothing else, she looks scary.”
Ross was excited about the opportunity of learning to play soccer.
“I don’t think that it is everyday an athlete gets asked to try out and help with another sport,” said Ross. “I really thought it would help me get another perspective on playing sports in college.”
Once Ross arrived at soccer practice, the coaches and players had to break the game down to basics for her.
“She had no idea about the game of soccer,” said DeCesare. “One of the first days, she asked, ?can anyone shoot the ball?’ She didn’t know things that we take for granted, so we had to cover the basic rules. She probably thought we were speaking Chinese for the first week in terms of soccer lingo.”
“To be honest, I thought the goalkeeper would just stand in the middle of the goal and guess where they kicked it and try to stop it,” said Ross. “I found out really quickly that the whole game of soccer is more complex than softball is. Every person that is on the field can make something happen by moving with or without the ball.”
Ross watched film and read books to try to catch up on soccer strategy and make up for lack of knowledge about the sport.
“Her attitude was, ?I’m here to help you guys and I’ll take the strides necessary to figure out the game,’” said DeCesare.
A junior pitcher for the Catamounts’ softball team, Ross found the two sports very different.
“I feel like softball is a game of inches and you kind of just have to react to whatever the ball does,” said Ross. “Soccer is the opposite ? the ball reacts to what you do with it. I honestly didn’t know there were plays and rotations for soccer ? I thought it was just people out on the field kicking a ball around.”
On Oct. 14 against Chattanooga, the native of Hope Mills, N.C., got her first chance to experience a live game. The Catamounts were up 6-0, and DeCesare wanted to get Ross’ feet wet. She played almost four minutes at the end of the game, giving up one goal.
“It was nerve-wracking, exciting, and fun all mixed into one,” said Ross.
In addition to balancing two sports, Ross is also a singer and song-writer, who performs locally with a friend at open mike nights.
“It’s kind of like my other side coming out,” said Ross. “We write and record music and it is something we hope to pursue in the future.”
For now, Ross, along with her enthusiastic softball teammates, will cheer for her soccer teammates as they attempt to move up in the Southern Conference standings. Most importantly, though, she’ll be there. Just in case.
“She’s a competitor and sometimes that is all you need,” said DeCesare.