By Blake Chadwick
A good goalie is a key piece for every soccer team. For last year’s 13-4-1 Valley Center team, senior goalkeeper Nathan Hinds was a huge part of their success because of his big-time shot-stopping ability, soccer IQ and experience.
Hinds was a second-team all-league player last season, contributing to the team with his 11 shutouts.
“Nate’s a hard-working and good kid,” head coach Matt Coleman said. “He’s an athletic goalkeeper. Very quick with good instincts. I’ve seen consistent improvement each year. Last year, as a junior, we saw him start to take more of a leadership role. Looking forward to a great year from him.”
Hinds, who has started for four years, has steadily improved every year, just like the rest of the program. Now, Hinds and the Hornets will look to get over the hump.
“My team goals for this year would be to win at least 10 games, win regionals one last time before I graduate, and try to make it to state since we’ve been really close the last few years,” Hinds said. “Two personal goals I have I have for this year are to make all-league first team and get eight clean sheets.”
The senior will also move to an even more of a leadership role, and will look to uplift this year. “I always try to keep a positive attitude and uplift my teammates because it doesn’t really do much good if everyone is just mad at each other or yelling,” Hinds said. “It’s even more important for me to keep this attitude this year since I’m a senior, so the other seniors have to set the example.”
