Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week

Fucetola enjoys a good shootout

By: Justin Feil
   Lauren Fucetola figures she isn’t quite like every other goalkeeper, especially when it comes to shootouts.
   "I’m probably the only person who will tell you I really like them," said the West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls’ soccer keeper. "I like them because I’m not expected to do that much. It’s not in my favor. I’m not supposed to get it, but I think, ‘I’m going to get it anyway.’ It’s fun to have all eyes on you."
   For the second time in two weeks, Fucetola had all eyes on her in a shootout. First, in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals against Nottingham, she stopped two shots for a relatively easy Pirates’ shootout win. Their final shooter didn’t even have to go.
   Last Thursday, things got a little tougher in the Central Jersey Group IV quarterfinals, in large part because of the opponent’s name. Steinert, a team that had defeated WW-P South, 5-1, in the regular season. But after 100 minutes, the two were tied, 1-1, and it went to a shootout.
   "The first shootout I went into, we were really confident," Fucetola said. "We had dominated the whole game, we had just practiced (penalty kicks) the other day. Steinert, they almost got under my skin. I felt like I was a little more nervous, maybe because it was states. I went into it, and I have my procedure, and I followed it. I did everything the exact same way. Technically, I approached it same way. Mentally though, I was a little more disheveled going into Steinert."
   It didn’t show. Fucetola, who earned a shutout in the Pirates’ state tournament opener last Monday, stopped the second penalty kick she saw and the Pirates’ five shooters all connected for a 5-4 win. The win put the Pirates into the CJ IV semifinals after they became the first Colonial Valley Conference team to beat Steinert in two seasons.
   Lauren Fucetola is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
   "Steinert, their reputation for being such a good team, I would much rather win in regulation," said Pirates head coach Chris Miller. "I don’t like to go to shootouts. This particular team is very good at it though. They won two shootouts. Every shooter was able to put the ball in the net. We went 5-for-5, what’s not to feel confident about?
   "And knowing even in practice, Fuce’ would make a lot of saves, the girls have a lot of confidence in her. She’s confident in herself. If you’re confident in your own ability, that confidence filters down to other teammates. They’re comfortable having her back there. The girls respond to her back there."
   Fucetola views it a bit differently.
   "When so many people are depending on you," she said, "I think it’s hard to disappoint people like that."
   Fucetola never has let the Pirates down. She was thrust into a starting role as a freshman due to an injury to their starting goalie. Every season, she’s looked more comfortable and more confident there.
   "She’s a good keeper," Miller said. "She works hard. Her foot skills are good enough that I could play her in the field. I would feel very comfortable playing her at right mid. She would do a great job. She plays keep-away with us. She’s with our team and does all the foot skills that everyone else does. She’s a very well-rounded keeper."
   One who had a strong close to her scholastic career. She helped the Pirates finish 13-4-1 and avenge one of their losses, to Steinert, to show how much they had improved over the season.
   "After the first time we played Steinert, it kind of hit us hard," Fucetola said. "We really realized we needed to step it up. We knew we were getting better by practicing every single day. We went in (the CJ IV matchup) with nothing to lose. We were obviously the underdogs."
   That role may have turned, though, when the Pirates got to a shootout. With Fucetola in goal, the Pirates knew they were in good hands. In practice, the WW-P South shooters practice against her.
   "I get really frustrated," Fucetola said. "I try and not remember where most of my players kick the ball. I get frustrated when subconsciously I know where they’re going. I try to forget where everyone goes.
   "It’s all about that spontaneous reaction. That’s the only thing you really have when the ball is being shot decently hard from decently close."
   Fucetola is incredibly accurate at figuring out where shots are going, even from opposing players. She actually deflected two other Steinert shots, but both went in. The one she stopped was all the Pirates needed to make it a two-game run through the state tournament before falling in the semifinals, 3-1, to Middletown North on Monday.
   "During the Edison game, I didn’t see many chances," Fucetola said. "We dominated the whole entire game. It was still a great game. We’ve come so far, it’s ridiculous.
   "Edison was a great game but I won’t ever forget the Steinert game ever. Winning that game, I wouldn’t have changed the season at all. Even if it meant losing to Steinert and going further in states if it was possible, I don’t think I would change the season. It was probably the best feeling ever."