This year’s group of goalkeepers features plenty of physical specimens – 6-foot-6, 222-pound Andrew Wolverton leads the list – but does that translate into options for a team looking for a starter?
1. Tyler Miller (Northwestern): Miller is big, which is obviously an excellent attribute when it comes to being a goalkeeper, but he’s also a good shot stopper, decision maker, and backline organizer. Northwestern has made their money – a metaphor, obviously, when it comes to NCAA sports – on defense in the last two seasons, but credit Miller with part of it. You don’t allow 12 goals in 19 games if you have a slouch manning the posts.
2. Alex Bono (Syracuse): Bono is a fantastic shot stopper, and Syracuse also allowed just 12 goals this year. The Orange spent a good portion of the season playing with a three-man backline, as well, so give Bono extra credit for holding opponents off the board.
3. Andrew Wolverton (Penn State): At 6-foot-6 and 222 pounds, Wolverton probably could have had a successful career as a tight end rather than as a goalkeeper. Suffice it to say, he should be able to win almost anything in the air. In our conversations with coaches and scouts, he’s been criticized for being slow to come off his line and for lack of vocal leadership, but those criticisms have been few and far between. It’s unlikely you’d be able to finish your career with 32 shutouts and just 56 goals allowed in 72 games with those kinds of glaring weaknesses. For a big guy, he’s a great shot stopper, but he’s coming off surgery on his foot, so he might not even be at the Combine.
4. Earl Edwards Jr. (UCLA): Edwards will make your eyes pop out of your head when you see him play – but not because he’s always spectacular. Put it like this: He does more good things than bad things, but he can also make big-time mistakes. Not a great look for a goalkeeper, but as we’ve said, the good things he does mostly outweigh the bad. He’s a great vocal leader and an excellent shot stopper, but he definitely needs a mistake-free Combine.
5. Spencer Richey (Washington): Last year, in what was supposed to be his senior season, Richey was at the very least an early second-round pick – probably more likely to make it into the first round – before a broken leg sidelined him for the season. He hasn’t fully gotten his game back despite a successful physical recovery, but he’s still shown flashes of the talent he once had and apparently impressed at the Sounders’ Combine on Dec. 13. He’s not sure-fire by any means, but for a team with a goalkeeper spot open in USL PRO, he’s got tremendous upside.
