By JOSHUA NATOLI
Sports Editor
How would you feel standing in the middle of a net 24-feet wide and having soccer balls fired right at you? You also have to stop those balls from going past you, which often have you diving from side to side in order to protect the goal. When broken down, the position of goalie or keeper to you international football heads seems like a daunting task. Senior Golden Knights goalie Jessica Gerski for the Women’s Soccer team however, makes it look easy.
“I just play like every game is the national championship. I play to win because I want to win and our team to win. Being a Saint Rose women’s soccer player has taught me that losing is not in our vocabulary if you work hard and play with heart.”
The goalie’s history starts at just the age of five when Gerski played for her Lion Princesses in her native California, ironically at forward. Once Gerski started playing at the high school level she began to start in the goal and led her high school team, also the Golden Knights, to the state final her sophomore year.
After high school Gerski had chosen to go to California State University Los Angeles, but decided to transfer to The College of Saint Rose, which she calls a great choice, “The size of the school made it feel like home,” says Gerski. “I went to a small private high school and going to a big university was tough for me. Transferring to Saint Rose is one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
If she had not made the decision Gerski would not have become the national champion she is today. Gerski was in goal during the final moments of the championship game in 2012.
“I’ll never forget watching the clock count down 10 seconds. I just remember saying to myself, ‘we did it. We won. We won.’ The next thing I knew I was crying and people were jumping on me. It was and is the best day of my life. I love walking by the trophy in the hallway. It still gives me the chills.”
Gerski might be able to experience that feeling again this year, as the Golden Knights are a number one seed heading into this year’s NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Golden Knights are currently riding high from their recent Northeast-10 Conference championship triumph. Gerski says her and the team aren’t letting it get to their postseason game, “It feels good winning the NE-10 championship and it definitely pushes us to be better. Yes we won the tournament, but we have tough opponents ahead and we need to take it one game at a time.”
To go along with that mentality, Gerski is also prepping herself for the tournament with her typical pregame ritual, dinner at Chipotle followed by a stop at Cold Stone Creamery.
Although the ritual might seem superstitious, Gerski’s approach on gameday isn’t, “I just play like every game is the National Championship. I play to win because I want to win and our team to win. Being a Saint Rose women’s soccer player has taught me that losing is not in our vocabulary if you work hard and play with heart.”
That same mentality helped the Golden Knights reach a milestone mark of eleven consecutive shutout games, which Gerski was obviously a big part of. Although it was a big achievement, Gerski was unaware of the fact until it was brought to her attention, “It means a lot to me though because my role model is Lauren Steinberg who used to play here and she told me she wants me to beat her records,” says Gerski. “I don’t like getting scored on. I do whatever it takes to not get scored on.”
Gerski’s goal keeping skills expand beyond the obvious use of hands and feet, “I literally never stop talking in goal,” says Gerski. “It helps my defense and keeps them aware of what’s going on. If they don’t hear my talking on the field they know something is wrong. It’s something that my teammates look for and expect from me.”
Although Gerski says her best skill is communication, her use of hands and kicking have gotten a lot better thanks to all the coaching she’s received from her coaches over the past three years as a Golden Knight.
Coaching may have had a big role in developing Gerski’s skill, but her biggest inspiration comes from home, “My mom and brother have been there from the beginning and have supported me every step of the way,” says Gerski. “I love and thank them for that every chance I get. We are a soccer family. My best friend, Ann, really influenced me to transfer and helped me make my decision to come to Saint Rose, as did my family. They have been my biggest fans and I love them so much.”
Soccer may be fully on the brain now, but Gerski also has her eyes set on post-graduation plans which include working for public relations or advertising agency. Graduate school back in California hasn’t been ruled out either.
Although playing soccer professionally isn’t out of the realm of possibility, Gerski isn’t counting on it, “It would be awesome to play pro, but Hope Solo seems to have things taken care of.”
