News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
In just her second season of playing organized soccer, freshman Chloe Dial finds herself as the starting goalie for the Livingston Academy Wildcats.
Dial said she was not participating in any athletics as a middle schooler, but in 8th grade her friends pressured her into joining the soccer team. And just a year later, she is starting against upperclassmen with years more experience. Dial said the role can be daunting, but she has teammates to help her out.
“They just tell me that it’s okay to forget about it,” Dial said. “Because, if you think about one mistake, then you’re probably going to mess up on more. So, just have a mind of a goldfish and forget about it.”
After a season opening loss to Mt. Juliet, 3-0, Dial and the Wildcats dialed it in for a shutout 1-0 victory over Valor Prep and then held the Cookeville Cavs to a 1-1 tie. Head coach Heather Marshall said that Dial has shown signs of improvement with every pre-season and regular season game so far.
“She is going to be crucial for us this season in her learning ability,” Marshall said. “And also performance levels. I’m excited to see what she does for us this season.”
When the established senior goalkeeper dropped out of this season, Dial said her initial reaction was fear. But she said that subsided with the help of her teammates and the confidence she had in herself.
Dial said she is thankful for the work coach Marshall did over the summer in helping her learn the position’s nuances and bringing the team closer together
“She’s been teaching me a lot of stuff and she’s been really encouraging,” Dial said. “Coach Marshall has done a lot of team bonding, so I say we have a good bond because of all the stuff we’ve done.”
In the off-season scrimmages and practices, Dial said she immediately realized the step up in competition with opponents schemes and speed.
“Whenever we started having games there was more stuff that I didn’t really see in middle school,” Dial said. ” And I knew I had to work on that.”
Marshall said Dial possesses qualities that make her a promising goalie, she’s eager to learn and has an unparalleled work ethic. What started as her friends pressuring her to join the team and her picking goalie since she claims to not have good feet has turned into something more. Dial said she’s excited for the season, but she still needs to work on the basics of being a goalie.
