Soccer Notebook: Radnor’s Razavi enjoying switch to front line

NETHER PROVIDENCE >> Just as Radnor’s bus rounded the corner into Strath Haven’s Middle School parking lot, Raquel Razavi’s memories came flooding back.

She remembered all the details of the game two years earlier — that she’d deputized in goal for her first varsity start, that she’d played well in her estimation, save for two headers that she conceded to a strong opponent. She recalled all of it except for the trivial detail of where that game transpired.

Last Thursday, though, she filled that hole in her memory, which ushered back the conflicting takeaway.

“It was cold, but it was my first night varsity game, and I was so scared,” Razavi said. “I remember doing this interview and it was a horrible interview. It was my first big game, and I thought I played amazing. I just loved goalie, and they got (two) headers in. …

“I thought I played my best game in goal but it just sucked.”

Thursday’s 1-0 win by Radnor at Strath Haven eased some of that sting for Razavi, now a senior and a forward/winger who’s come a long way from that quaking sophomore goalie.

That evening, Oct. 3, 2013, occurred two Radnor head coaches ago. Starter Bari Margolis was out, gifting Razavi the start. Carly Glassford and Ami Iannello scored, but Razavi was otherwise impressive, assertively charging off her line and collecting nine saves.

Razavi had become accustomed to deputizing in goal, always willing to audition at new positions.

“When I was a young kid, I always played defense, and somebody just got hurt, and I was like, ‘I’ll play goalie. Whatever,’” an ebullient Razavi said Thursday. “So I’ve always just been a multi-positional kind of player. Every year, we’ve always had a goalie get hurt or whatever, so I’ve felt the need to step up.”

In high school, the line between versatility and expendability is thin. Junior Alexa Soloman claimed the goalkeeping job, walling off Razavi’s chances. Razavi’s preferred position was central defense, which Abby Lord and Eliza Azzarano had solidified. First-year coach Mike Welsh shifted her to central midfield, where Maura Holst scored 18 goals last year, commanding the majority of minutes.

As Razavi searched for a niche, pragmatism won out: She and Welsh settled on an area in which Radnor required reinforcements, with Razavi splitting minutes between left wing and center forward.

Seeing the reckless abandon with which Razavi pinballs off opposing defenses, it’s hard to imagine her boundless energy contained by the perimeter of the 18-yard-box. Her pestering has translated into four goals, positioning Radnor favorably in the Central League logjam.

Razavi has also found more joy in her role, where she seems to be adapting more favorably to the forward’s mindset than she did as a shot-stopper.

“It’s a whole different ballgame when you’re in goal,” she said. “All the pressure is on you, and you feel like you have to let your team have it. You need to put it all out on the field, but you can’t do much in goal. You stop the balls, and if you don’t, it’s really hard to get back up.

“I think out in the field, it’s a lot easier to get my energy out and contain it and disperse it wisely. I can mess up once, and two seconds later, I can get back up and we can go score.”

•     •     •

For all the Division I talent dotting Marple Newtown’s roster, questions have lingered in goal.

Entering into last Thursday’s meeting with Garnet Valley, coach Charlie Dodds played a hunch, with Josh Lessig out due to injury and Josh Starr having struggled in his last outing.

Dodds’ answer was to call up Steven Bradley … like literally call Bradley’s house after he’d completed JV practice and headed home for the day and coax him back to school to tend goal for the varsity.

One other little complication: Bradley’s not the JV goalie, meaning he debuted as not only a varsity player but as a goalie.
Bradley responded with four saves in a 4-2 win over Garnet Valley.

“He’s just a hard-nosed kid,” Dodds said. “He’s a coach’s pleasure. He’ll do anything you ask him to do, and he came up big for us.”

•     •     •

Girls soccer can be territorial, with teams unable to escape their own halves for minutes at a time. Add wind and a little rain, and the prospect of 50-yard, field-shifting clearances isn’t as prevalent as for the boys.

That reality accentuates the value of Haverford’s Brianna Blair. The defender, who plays right back but can play centrally, possesses a rare, precise big boot to relieve pressure on her team.

In Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Penncrest, Greta Ungvary’s goal came largely against the run of play, as the Lions and Fords vacillated between periods of sustained pressure. Penncrest had Haverford hemmed in for several minutes until Blair hoofed the ball 40-some yards, letting the Fords’ speedy front line put the Penncrest defense under pressure to unearth Ungvary’s breakthrough.

“I feel like that’s part of my game,” Blair said. “I know that a lot of people on our team have their strengths. Technical ability isn’t really my strength, but I know that my strength is to kick it far, and when we need to do that, I can.”

Blair also fed the goalmouth scrum that resulted in Cece Peden’s goal in Thursday’s win over Conestoga, which leaves the Fords unbeaten in the league.

Blindly lumping the ball forward is anathema to purists. But it represents a distinct advantage in the girls’ game. Lofting the ball upfield 40 yards (especially if players are clustered within about 30 yards and passing space is at a premium) can give your defenders a respite and ask questions of the opposing backline. The edge was more pronounced late when Penncrest tried to play long-ball soccer and could only advance in 10- and 15-yard increments.

The key is timing, which Blair also comprehends.

“I feel like when it’s a fast ball back to me, I feel something inside me that I know that that’s the ball,” Blair said.

To contact Matthew De George, email mdegeorge@delcotimes.com. For full standings and stat leaders, visit papreplive.com/girls-soccer.