Early on, process of elimination told Ally Wakeman she was a natural soccer goalie.
“Whenever I went out on the field, I just fell, and I wasn’t coordinated with my feet,” the Lawrence High keeper said with a laugh. “I would pass the ball to someone and just fall down. The coach said ‘She falls, she dives, let’s put her in the goal and let her dive for the ball.’”
And so began what looks to be a pretty promising goalkeeping career, as Wakeman is one of the top young netminders in the Colonial Valley Conference this season. The Cardinals were 4-7-1 and fighting for a state tournament berth in mid-October, and the freshman was a big reason.
“Ally has saved our butts often this season,” coach Emily Palombo said. “We have had games where she makes a save and it keeps us in the game. Other times, we have let down as a defensive unit, and there was really nothing she could do against some of the goals. Overall, everyone is thankful that Ally is in the net.”
Wakeman has 101 saves in 12 games, hit double figures seven times and had a season-high 19 against Notre Dame in just her second varsity game. With Lawrence in desperate need of a goalie coming into the season, she has been the starving man’s steak dinner.
“We knew going into preseason that whoever stepped into the role was going to have limited varsity experience, but we heard that we had some talented goalies coming up from the middle school,” Palombo said. “We were anxious to see our goalies in preseason. We knew that some veterans had been working hard to improve, and we wanted to see what the freshmen had to offer.”
And Wakeman’s preseason performance filled Palombo with enough confidence to give her the starting nod.
Wakeman stood out in ways that young goalkeepers often don’t. She did not show the timidity of a freshman while dealing with veteran players on the defense, which is key for a goalie trying to establish control. She was vocal, aggressive and able to make saves that even her coaches didn’t expect her to make.
“She never stops talking to her team, and she became a leader, even as a freshman. She really controls her box, and we need that at the varsity level,” Palombo said.
And then came a somewhat ironic comment, considering Wakeman’s beginnings.
“Ally is comfortable with her feet,” Palombo said. “I would put her into possession drills, and she does well in them. We loved how well-rounded she was.”
Wakeman actually was a field player when she started in the Lawrenceville Recreation League. She moved on to the Hot Peppers in the Hamnett travel league in second grade and not long after, coaches were asking for goalie volunteers.
“Everyone wanted to be a goalkeeper, so there was a big debate who would do it,” Wakeman said. “When you’re all young, everybody thinks it’s cool. After a while, they realize it’s not as great as they think and a lot of them want to go back on the field. I started playing it fulltime in third grade and I’ve kind of been stuck in the net ever since.”
She moved on to the Princeton Soccer Association for travel ball and recently joined the National Players League, which is run by Rider women’s head coach Drayson Hounsome. Wakeman enjoyed undefeated seasons for both the Hot Peppers and PSA, playing key roles for both teams. She also attended Olympic Developmental Player camps and a UK Elite camp at the Lawrenceville School.
Upon arriving at Lawrence’s preseason camp, though, Wakeman had her first experience playing with girls older than her. It hardly shook her confidence.
“I was definitely hoping for varsity but I wouldn’t have been too surprised if I made JV,” she said. “I was glad to be on the team. It’s been fun, the team has been pretty nice. I made lots of new friends before high school even started, so it was nice to know people before you even started school.”
As for having to bark out orders to players older than her, Wakeman just figured that’s part of being a keeper and part of growing up.
“If you’re quiet, you won’t get far in life,” she said. “You have to be able to stand up for yourself and do what you need to do with people of different ages once you get older. You can’t be afraid to tell them what to do.”
Wakeman says she tries to emulate keepers like U.S. women’s national team starter Hope Solo in that regard.
“I read about them, and they said they didn’t speak up for themselves and that didn’t help them in their career,” Wakeman said. “But my teammates are all so nice, they always encourage me. It’s usually like, ‘Seniors don’t like freshmen. No one likes freshmen.’ I think they realize I have potential and I see the whole field and understand the game of soccer and it doesn’t matter what age I am.”
Palombo realizes it and is certainly happy with Wakeman’s willingness to run the show with authority.
“Goalies get to see the entire field, so their teammates have to listen to them,” the coach said. “Like I said, Ally is the most vocal player on the field, and I absolutely love it. She has so much heart and she is constantly talking to the girls throughout the game. The upperclassmen respect her because she is doing her job and she sees everything. They all trust Ally.”
Palombo feels that Wakeman’s mental toughness has been a huge part of her game. Often, young goalies will sulk after giving up a goal and give up another easy one while their minds are elsewhere.
“She is doing a fantastic job,” Palombo said. “She is always focused even after a goal is scored, and she is the first person to encourage the girls to get the goal back.”
Wakeman admitted it wasn’t always that way.
“It used to be really bad when I was younger,” she said. “Every goal I gave up, I’d be so mad at myself, and it actually made me do worse. Now I just say there are always opportunities we can get it back. You can’t ever give up after you allow one in.”
Aside from all her mental attributes, Wakeman is physically gifted when it comes to saving shots.
“The best quality about Ally is that she has no fear,” Palombo said. “She has great instincts and gets up quickly after making a save. She is tall and that helps her cover a lot of ground. She has an aggressive nature that cannot be taught.”
It’s the kind of nature that helped her turn falling down on the field into an art in the goal.
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