Interview w/ Zoe Gibbs - Bay Oaks Girls 2002 Gold Team Goalkeeper

I started playing with the club when I was about 7 or 8. I chose Bay Oaks mostly because I live on Alameda and the commute was the easiest for my parents and

me with everything else going on in our lives. But it has worked out really well – I

love my teammates and the coaches I’ve had.

Right now I’m a junior at Head Royce, where I play on the school team. I hope to

play soccer in college, but my first priority is finding the right school and then I’ll

see if I can play soccer there. I’m most looking at Division III schools. I went to ID

camps over the summer where the coaches from schools I’m interested in were

attending. My recommendation for people who want to play soccer in college is

to talk to as many people as you can who know coaches and to look at as many

colleges as possible, but be careful about getting burned out. Try to focus on the

school you’re really interested in. Get a highlight reel – I had one coach who

wanted to meet with me based on my highlight reel alone – but they’re mostly

valuable to give coaches an idea if they want to come see you play in person.

I love being a goalie. Goalies have a reputation as being weird people, but I love

the focus and concentration you need to be a good goalie. You have to believe in

yourself and your own decision-making. My favorite player is Manuel Neuer, the

goalkeeper for the German national team. He has a really distinctive and

aggressive style, and he always makes the right decisions.

(From an interview conducted by Anne Lackey)