How tall is your Goalkeeper?

socalkdg said:
Watched 6 different women's teams from ACC and SEC last couple weekends. 5' 6" - 5'9" were the starting 6 keepers. That is top D1 soccer. Still leaves D2, D3, and NAIA and some keepers run as short a 5' 4" so don't fret if they want to play college and they are shorter.

Mine is now 5' 9", will finish at 5' 10". Remember also that wing span and jumping ability play major rolls as well. Throw in speed and quickness, hands and foot skills, and you can see why D1 takes keepers that are under 5' 7".
Click to expand...

I was intrigued by the post so I went through D1 conferences to see the makeup of keepers. I went through the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big 10 and Pac 12 rosters to gather the data. Not all teams had updated Freshman stats, specifically the conferences that have postponed their fall schedules. The total number of keepers I could get stats on totaled 193. Here is the breakdown….

Average height overall was 5’9”
Average height for ACC (inches): 69.025
Average height for SEC (inches): 68.756
Average height for Big 12 (inches): 69.263
Average height for Big 10 (inches): 69.305
Average height for Pac 12 (inches): 69.029

The only conferences that I tracked stats on that are currently playing are the ACC, SEC and Big 12. Here are the average heights of starters.

Average height of starters
ACC: 5’ 9½“
SEC: 5’ 9”
Big 12: 5’ 10 ¼”

Total number of keepers below 5’7” was 16 which represents less than 10%, 8.3% to be exact, who have been recruited by these D1 schools.
The shortest keeper overall is on the roster at UCLA at a height of 5' 3".
 
My U18 GK is 5'6" (5'7" in cleats and that's how we mark her height for recruiting) and while it makes it tough to reach the corners, she is really good with breakaways, shot-stopping, and low-balls. She has worked hard on improving her tip-overs at the top of the net. She has played DA and is now playing ECNL. If your daughter loves the position, don't dissuade her from playing. There are plenty of opportunities for shorter keepers in college.

The first year in the big goal is tough and there will be a lot of goals against her, but she'll grow. It can be brutal at times, but just remember that every goal allowed is a learning opportunity. And the keeper on the other team will be facing the same problem, so she won't be alone.
 
The Outlaw said:
I've seen some shorter keepers but they tend to make up for it with athleticism and reflexes. One that comes to mind is Cascapera at ASU. Her height isn't listed but she feels short. That said, pretty decent shot stopper... but I agree with DH... at some point she needs to have a growth spurt. Good luck with that.
Click to expand...
BYU women has a shorter keeper too who is very good. High Div 1 girls goalies seem to be in the 5'10 or higher. men are now 6'4 or taller at high div 1.
 
GeekKid said:
I was intrigued by the post so I went through D1 conferences to see the makeup of keepers. I went through the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big 10 and Pac 12 rosters to gather the data. Not all teams had updated Freshman stats, specifically the conferences that have postponed their fall schedules. The total number of keepers I could get stats on totaled 193. Here is the breakdown….

Average height overall was 5’9”
Average height for ACC (inches): 69.025
Average height for SEC (inches): 68.756
Average height for Big 12 (inches): 69.263
Average height for Big 10 (inches): 69.305
Average height for Pac 12 (inches): 69.029

The only conferences that I tracked stats on that are currently playing are the ACC, SEC and Big 12. Here are the average heights of starters.

Average height of starters
ACC: 5’ 9½“
SEC: 5’ 9”
Big 12: 5’ 10 ¼”

Total number of keepers below 5’7” was 16 which represents less than 10%, 8.3% to be exact, who have been recruited by these D1 schools.
The shortest keeper overall is on the roster at UCLA at a height of 5' 3".
Click to expand...
That UCLA keeper was a walk on.

So D1 runs 5' 9". Wonder if any heights are fudged like they do in basketball. ;)
Be interesting to see what the height drop is for D2, D3, and NAIA.
 
socalkdg said:
That UCLA keeper was a walk on.

So D1 runs 5' 9". Wonder if any heights are fudged like they do in basketball. ;)
Be interesting to see what the height drop is for D2, D3, and NAIA.
Click to expand...
I would imagine that all athletes and programs put on an extra inch for the stats. I'll leave the D2, D3 and NAIA investigation to you!
 
pokergod said:
BYU women has a shorter keeper too who is very good. High Div 1 girls goalies seem to be in the 5'10 or higher. men are now 6'4 or taller at high div 1.
Click to expand...
I don’t think that’s an accurate way to explain height for men’s teams. For the men, it’s a program-by-program question depending upon coach preference. Some schools, every GK is 6’4”+ and others none are that tall. At Stanford, for instance, all of the GKs on their roster this year are 6’2”. At Georgetown, they have some 6’1”, 6’2” and one 6’4”. At UCLA, the starter and backup are 6’2”. The new freshman is 6’6”, but although he’s good, he’s not the same USYNT pedigree as the starter and could easily get recruited over in future years.

It’s definitely true, though, that if you see a sub 6’0 player at a top men’s program, they are likely a practice player. I’ve seen players get playing time at that height, but they are generally at least listed as 6’0”
 
GeekKid said:
I would imagine that all athletes and programs put on an extra inch for the stats. I'll leave the D2, D3 and NAIA investigation to you!
Click to expand...

"all" is a very big number (and I know that my kid's height is accurately listed in her bio).


SoCal GK mom said:
If your daughter loves the position, don't dissuade her from playing. There are plenty of opportunities for shorter keepers in college.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this. If your child's goal is to play at a P5 program, it is harder but not impossible based on trends in height. But if the goal is to play D1 college soccer (or college soccer independent of level) and your child is a skilled player, she can find a program that will love to have her. It remains a hard position to fill, even at the upper levels.
 
dk_b said:
"all" is a very big number (and I know that my kid's height is accurately listed in her bio).
Click to expand...
You are correct, "all" is too generalized. How about a good amount of athletes and programs sneak an inch in. I also agree that if anyone is passionate enough and puts the work in, there will always be a place for them.
 
My GK is a bit under 5'10" but listed 5'10" in her recruiting bio. Her older sister is 5'11" almost 6', but doesn't play sports competitively. I used to wish that my keeper would get those extra inches, but I have noticed that in the women's game, at a certain point, extra height for the sake of height ceases to be a significant advantage as it tends to come with tradeoffs on the low/quick shot stopping end. The fast twitch athleticism in males seems to have less of a correlation with size, but it's rare to see a very large female athlete (just watch the six footers in the WNBA) that moves with quick twitch explosiveness. Even the exceptionally gifted 6 foot plus women move with less fluidity than their shorter peers. Many are downright ponderous in movement. Even Serena Williams, who seems like a giant in her sport, is only 5'9". I've written in similar threads that shorter keepers (5'2"-5'6") can play college soccer, as long as they can compensate with leaping, timing, and fearlessness. If they don't have the ability to compensate that way, then keeper is certainly the wrong position for them.
 
GeekKid said:
I was intrigued by the post so I went through D1 conferences to see the makeup of keepers. I went through the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big 10 and Pac 12 rosters to gather the data. Not all teams had updated Freshman stats, specifically the conferences that have postponed their fall schedules. The total number of keepers I could get stats on totaled 193. Here is the breakdown….

Average height overall was 5’9”
Average height for ACC (inches): 69.025
Average height for SEC (inches): 68.756
Average height for Big 12 (inches): 69.263
Average height for Big 10 (inches): 69.305
Average height for Pac 12 (inches): 69.029

The only conferences that I tracked stats on that are currently playing are the ACC, SEC and Big 12. Here are the average heights of starters.

Average height of starters
ACC: 5’ 9½“
SEC: 5’ 9”
Big 12: 5’ 10 ¼”

Total number of keepers below 5’7” was 16 which represents less than 10%, 8.3% to be exact, who have been recruited by these D1 schools.
The shortest keeper overall is on the roster at UCLA at a height of 5' 3".
Click to expand...
I had a thought that I was going to do what you did but it remained a thought. I am happy you did it and not me. LOL
 
socalkdg said:
That UCLA keeper was a walk on.

So D1 runs 5' 9". Wonder if any heights are fudged like they do in basketball. ;)
Be interesting to see what the height drop is for D2, D3, and NAIA.
Click to expand...
I was wondering that too but I was thinking that the height on the roster was probably pretty accurate because I looked up a few shorter Keeper's recruiting profiles and I noted all of the shorter Keepers recruiting profiles showed an inch taller height than the roster height.

My daughter who just turned 14 is a legit 5'7" and the charts (that have been consistently correct her whole life) predicts her height at 5'8 1/2". I am guessing that if she achieves anything above 5'8", we round up to 5'9". She has finally grown into her huge feet! Size 9 mens 10.5 womens. Holy cow!
 
Keeper ID camp last November/December (can't remember exactly). My girl was 5'7" for these pictures as a Freshman last year. Back row 7th girl from the left. Freshman through Seniors. Gives you a sense of their heights. Girls on knees were supposed to be the shorter ones of the group. Of course I wasn't centered for the picture so the closer girls appear taller. Been told above 5'7" is enough to get the attention of D1 scouts.Group Training.jpg
 
Pepperdine lists redshirt junior goalkeeper ZC as 5'11" but I think her height might be understated. I'm 5'10" and when she stood next to me a few years ago when a senior at Edison HS she was several inches taller than me.
 
My son is about 5'9"-5'10" (14, turning 15), but trains with keepers who are about 6' - 6'-2". He can out jump and dive them, yet looks quite smaller when standing next to them. The skillset, and athleticism is truly important. Was told my doctors that he is 97th percentile, and should be about 6'-3"ish, lets hope for it.
 
forksnbolts said:
My son is about 5'9"-5'10" (14, turning 15), but trains with keepers who are about 6' - 6'-2". He can out jump and dive them, yet looks quite smaller when standing next to them. The skillset, and athleticism is truly important. Was told my doctors that he is 97th percentile, and should be about 6'-3"ish, lets hope for it.
Click to expand...
My dd practices with girls and boys who are 17-19 years old, she just turned 15. The keeper coach brings back alumni during the summer and school breaks so she even gets to pratice with D1 keepers. Great experience for her to see her future and what type of effort and dedication she needs to embrace to get there.
 
forksnbolts said:
One thing about the GK world I have noticed is that my son looks up to those older kids, and in turn the younger ones look up to him. Its nice to see keepers helping keepers.
Click to expand...

I think there really is a "club" among them. I have loved watching the progression of my daughter as a u-little to college freshman and how she worked with olders and became an older but STILL benefits from older keepers who are always willing to lend a hand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top