Houston to sign with South Carolina [Soccer]
A lot of goalkeepers in soccer were probably pushed into the position because they were the slowest, weakest, worst players on the field.
Not Katelyn Houston, though.
The 18-year-old from Anchorage was drawn to the position when she was just 8 because she was fearless.
“I have older brothers and we always messed around, and I wasn’t scared to run out to the ball and everything,” she told me. “I liked it right away.”
Houston, of Grace Christian fame, turned her passion into the opportunity of a lifetime as she will sign her letter of intent next week to play for the University of South Carolina.
It’s always been her dream to play for a NCAA D1 team.
“Honestly, as long as I can remember all I’ve wanted to do when I was older was to play soccer and I’ve always wanted to shoot for the highest level,” she said.
She picked South Carolina over Charleston Southern and Wingate University.
She toured a bunch of colleges in the South with her father, David, and met with the coaches at South Carolina. They invited her back for a camp and she did enough to secure a spot on the Gamecocks.
“Just making it to South Carolina is just perfect for me,” she said. “As soon as I stepped foot on campus I knew I was going there. It’s amazing.”
Her coaches at Grace Christian call her the ‘Dream Crusher’ because of her ability to steal goals with big saves.
“In my opinion it’s the highest pressure position on the field,” Houston said. “I like the mental stress that it brings; that’s a big part of the game. It’s a great learning process, learning how to stay calm, learning how to lead my teammates. It’s very talkative; I’m very good at that.”
With her college decision already made, she can relax and enjoy being a senior.
“I can just go out there and have fun,” she said.