In terms of responsibilities, this position requires 90 minutes of focus, courage, bodily sacrifice, vocal directing, and consistency. There is constant pressure to do your job properly, because you’re simply not allowed to make mistakes. Any takers?
Leave it to Surrey native Priya Sandhu — she agrees that you need to be a little bit crazy to stand between the woodwork and shoulder the duty.
“Yeah, you have to be crazy to be a goalkeeper,” said Sandhu. “You have to realize that not everything is your fault, shake things off, and have that tough personality [. . .] it gets easier with time.”
The freshman goalkeeper was thrust into the action immediately after arriving at SFU, appearing in every game of what was a difficult season for the Clan — they went 2-16, and 10 of those losses were shutouts.
Despite the baptism by fire, Sandhu persevered with a passion for the game that stems from her very first year of playing; even then, she set her sights high.
“I was five years old and already wanted to be in the World Cup!” said Sandhu, with a laugh. “My mom played soccer when she was younger and so did my brother, so I wanted to be a part of it too.”
Much like other players in this unique position, the role essentially chose her, albeit assisted by a little push from her mom and then-coach.
“Everyone didn’t want to play in net when the team would rotate, so my mom kept putting me there and eventually I made a save at some point. So I stayed there, I couldn’t say no to my mom.”
Driven to succeed, Sandhu began to compete at higher levels, playing with the Whitecaps prospects program, the provincial U-13 team, and eventually winning gold at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
Quite simply, the Clan are in capable hands, and the young keeper feels that the added challenge of Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) competition has helped her grow. “At first it was overwhelming and a hard adjustment, but next year we know what to expect,” she said.
The 17-year-old explained that the opportunity to play at SFU was a great relief and affirmation of her goals as an athlete, and this was coupled with a dream invitation to make her first international appearance training with the Canadian U-20 team in February.
“When I finally got to commit [to the game] it was a relief and I was really excited,” said Sandhu. “The prospect program that I had played in when I was little was held at SFU, so I made a pact with a friend at the time that we would go to SFU together.”
Playing with the Clan has also benefitted Sandhu through the valuable coaching staff, which Sandhu believes can take her game to a higher level. Even though it was a transition season for the players and the philosophies introduced, the rewards are sure to follow soon.
“The coaching staff we have are really great,” said Sandhu, who found a mentor in assistant coach Anna Picarelli, herself a former goalkeeper.
“Anna helped me so much because she’s a smaller goalkeeper [like me] and has taught me a lot of things that other coaches haven’t been able to.”
“I’ve been a part of teams where they didn’t bring that out of me, but it was good and I felt really challenged.”
Vocal development will surely aid in Priya’s career goals as well, which are equally as daunting as her playing aspirations. The Surrey native has zeroed in on studying criminology in the hopes of eventually becoming a lawyer.
“I feel like I will do well in that area, so I plan on getting high marks and getting into law school. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on school, but it’s something I’ve always wanted.”
A goalkeeper is constantly facing challenges head on, both mentally and literally on the pitch. For Sandhu, who made an impressive 76 saves over her 18 appearances for the Clan, educational challenges will surely be met with the same fortitude that was shown in her first campaign in the net for SFU.
