Scout Watson makes a save during a drill in Tuesday's afternoon training session.
Photo by: Andy Schlichting
Goalkeepers Preview
August 02, 2018 | Soccer
BOULDER – Colorado's goalkeepers combined to break or tie 15 individual and team records last season. With Jalen Tompkins and Scout Watson both back for their respective junior and senior seasons in 2018, that position once again figures to be perhaps the strongest on the team with the potential to break more records.
Tompkins emerged as the starter during her redshirt freshman season in 2016 and has not let up. She broke every freshman goalkeeping record that season and followed that up with an even better sophomore season in 2017, breaking individual records for goals-against average (0.58) and save percentage (.882). She currently stands as CU's career leader in both of those categories as well.
Watson started four times as a redshirt freshman in 2015, but with Tompkins' emergence since then, has seen less playing time. That being said, she has also continued to improve throughout her career, posting career bests in both save percentage (.786) and GAA (0.73) last season, and combining with Tompkins to help CU break three single-season team records, including most shutouts (14).
"[Associate head coach] Jason [Green] does a great job with them and we both feel they are two of the top goalkeepers in the Pac-12," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "Fortunately for us they both are on our team so we have a lot of confidence in both of them."
Sometimes, competition between two top players at the same position can create a rift. But that is not the case with Tompkins and Watson as the two are close off the field.
"Scout and I have always had a good friendship on the field, but more importantly off the field too," Tompkins said. "I think what makes our friendship great is we both want each other to succeed on the field, but especially off the field too."
In addition to being two of the best players at the position in the Pac-12, both are team leaders and are going into their second season as the team's captains.
"We've just kind of settled into the role really well," Tompkins said. "We've been here, we know everything [in the program], we are used to how everything goes and what the coaches are saying and we're all kind of speaking the same language. We do a good job of sending the same message, and as long as we do that, the team will be on the same page. I think we set that standard [for the season] in the summer and going forward."
Last season, CU's defense and goalkeepers carried it into the postseason as the team finished the regular season with five consecutive clean sheets, going 4-0-1 during that stretch. Sanchez has said any losses during that stretch would have cost the Buffs an NCAA Tournament selection.
"Our identity of our team at the end of the year was we just weren't giving up goals and we were opportunistic going forward," Sanchez said. "The numbers were stretched out a little bit (to create more scoring chances) so we were a little exposed at times, [putting more pressure on the goalkeepers]."
Tompkins and Watson are quick to point to the defenders rather than take credit for the team's success defensively. They also believe the team can be even better defensively in 2018.
"I think it's a really good goal to have [to break last season's defensive records]," Watson said. "We definitely have got to take it one game at a time and our focus is always to get a shutout. If we can keep that rolling into Pac-12 matches and get as many shutouts as we can, that would be a huge boost for our defense's confidence and really the whole team going into Pac-12."
If the team's defense can improve with what appears to be a stronger offense this season, the Buffs could be poised for their best season in school history and perhaps even a championship in 2018.
The two players believe a top-four finish in the Pac-12 will get CU a better matchup in the NCAA Tournament as the Buffs have had to play on the road at a No. 1 seed in the second round the past two seasons. As a result, despite making the postseason four of the past five seasons, CU has been eliminated in the second round the past three times after a third-round appearance in 2013.
"We want to break that barrier," Tompkins said. "We just feel stuck in the second round of the NCAA. But we have to do better in Pac-12 play. That's basically the big goal, to focus on each game one at a time. Shutouts—you can't lose if you don't get scored on, you can tie and not win, but you can't lose. So that's the mentality we have going into everything every day."
The team's performance in non-conference play will also be key in setting up a better postseason matchup.
"Taking care of the non-conference games [is really important]," Tompkins said. "It's just how every team is—you come in and get your footing in the preseason games and that's what you want. You don't want to peak in the preseason games. If we can go on [last season] and not lose to Texas [3-0], who knows what happens?"
Right now, the team is focused on preparing for the season opener at Air Force on August 16. And the Buffs are confident, knowing they are set on their last line of defense with two of the best goalkeepers in the conference.
Here's a list of records Tompkins and Watson broke last season:
*Individual career goals-against average: Tompkins, 0.71 (previous 0.83 by Jessica Keller, 2003-05)
*Individual career save percentage: Tompkins, .867 (previous .838 by Sloane Cox, 1997-98)
Individual season GAA: Tompkins, 0.58 (previous 0.58 by Kirstin Radlinski, 2008)
Individual season save percentage: Tompkins, .882 (previous .855 by Radlinski, 2008)
Individual GAA by a sophomore: Tompkins, 0.58 (previous 0.67 by Keller, 2003)
Individual save percentage by a sophomore: Tompkins, .882 (previous .844 by Keller, 2003)
Individual shutouts by a sophomore: Tompkins, 9 (tied Keller, 2003)
Individual longest shutout streak: Tompkins, 536:03 (previous 480:43 by Tompkins, 2016)
Individual longest shutout streak in conference matches: Tompkins, 498:05 (previous 463:55 by Keller, 2004-05)
Team save percentage in a season: .870 (previous .847 in 2016)
Team goals-against average in a season: 0.61 (previous 0.69 in 2003)
Team shutouts in a season: 14 (previous 12 in 2004 and 2014)
Team consecutive shutouts (minutes): 621:10 (previous 551:54 from 2012-13)
Team consecutive shutouts (matches): 6 (previous 5 in 2013)
Team consecutive shutouts (minutes) in conference matches: 543:05 (previous 463:55 from 2004-05)
*Career averages and percentages are active and will continue to change
Tompkins emerged as the starter during her redshirt freshman season in 2016 and has not let up. She broke every freshman goalkeeping record that season and followed that up with an even better sophomore season in 2017, breaking individual records for goals-against average (0.58) and save percentage (.882). She currently stands as CU's career leader in both of those categories as well.
Watson started four times as a redshirt freshman in 2015, but with Tompkins' emergence since then, has seen less playing time. That being said, she has also continued to improve throughout her career, posting career bests in both save percentage (.786) and GAA (0.73) last season, and combining with Tompkins to help CU break three single-season team records, including most shutouts (14).
"[Associate head coach] Jason [Green] does a great job with them and we both feel they are two of the top goalkeepers in the Pac-12," head coach Danny Sanchez said. "Fortunately for us they both are on our team so we have a lot of confidence in both of them."
Sometimes, competition between two top players at the same position can create a rift. But that is not the case with Tompkins and Watson as the two are close off the field.
"Scout and I have always had a good friendship on the field, but more importantly off the field too," Tompkins said. "I think what makes our friendship great is we both want each other to succeed on the field, but especially off the field too."
In addition to being two of the best players at the position in the Pac-12, both are team leaders and are going into their second season as the team's captains.
"We've just kind of settled into the role really well," Tompkins said. "We've been here, we know everything [in the program], we are used to how everything goes and what the coaches are saying and we're all kind of speaking the same language. We do a good job of sending the same message, and as long as we do that, the team will be on the same page. I think we set that standard [for the season] in the summer and going forward."
Last season, CU's defense and goalkeepers carried it into the postseason as the team finished the regular season with five consecutive clean sheets, going 4-0-1 during that stretch. Sanchez has said any losses during that stretch would have cost the Buffs an NCAA Tournament selection.
"Our identity of our team at the end of the year was we just weren't giving up goals and we were opportunistic going forward," Sanchez said. "The numbers were stretched out a little bit (to create more scoring chances) so we were a little exposed at times, [putting more pressure on the goalkeepers]."
Tompkins and Watson are quick to point to the defenders rather than take credit for the team's success defensively. They also believe the team can be even better defensively in 2018.
"I think it's a really good goal to have [to break last season's defensive records]," Watson said. "We definitely have got to take it one game at a time and our focus is always to get a shutout. If we can keep that rolling into Pac-12 matches and get as many shutouts as we can, that would be a huge boost for our defense's confidence and really the whole team going into Pac-12."
If the team's defense can improve with what appears to be a stronger offense this season, the Buffs could be poised for their best season in school history and perhaps even a championship in 2018.
The two players believe a top-four finish in the Pac-12 will get CU a better matchup in the NCAA Tournament as the Buffs have had to play on the road at a No. 1 seed in the second round the past two seasons. As a result, despite making the postseason four of the past five seasons, CU has been eliminated in the second round the past three times after a third-round appearance in 2013.
"We want to break that barrier," Tompkins said. "We just feel stuck in the second round of the NCAA. But we have to do better in Pac-12 play. That's basically the big goal, to focus on each game one at a time. Shutouts—you can't lose if you don't get scored on, you can tie and not win, but you can't lose. So that's the mentality we have going into everything every day."
The team's performance in non-conference play will also be key in setting up a better postseason matchup.
"Taking care of the non-conference games [is really important]," Tompkins said. "It's just how every team is—you come in and get your footing in the preseason games and that's what you want. You don't want to peak in the preseason games. If we can go on [last season] and not lose to Texas [3-0], who knows what happens?"
Right now, the team is focused on preparing for the season opener at Air Force on August 16. And the Buffs are confident, knowing they are set on their last line of defense with two of the best goalkeepers in the conference.
Here's a list of records Tompkins and Watson broke last season:
*Individual career goals-against average: Tompkins, 0.71 (previous 0.83 by Jessica Keller, 2003-05)
*Individual career save percentage: Tompkins, .867 (previous .838 by Sloane Cox, 1997-98)
Individual season GAA: Tompkins, 0.58 (previous 0.58 by Kirstin Radlinski, 2008)
Individual season save percentage: Tompkins, .882 (previous .855 by Radlinski, 2008)
Individual GAA by a sophomore: Tompkins, 0.58 (previous 0.67 by Keller, 2003)
Individual save percentage by a sophomore: Tompkins, .882 (previous .844 by Keller, 2003)
Individual shutouts by a sophomore: Tompkins, 9 (tied Keller, 2003)
Individual longest shutout streak: Tompkins, 536:03 (previous 480:43 by Tompkins, 2016)
Individual longest shutout streak in conference matches: Tompkins, 498:05 (previous 463:55 by Keller, 2004-05)
Team save percentage in a season: .870 (previous .847 in 2016)
Team goals-against average in a season: 0.61 (previous 0.69 in 2003)
Team shutouts in a season: 14 (previous 12 in 2004 and 2014)
Team consecutive shutouts (minutes): 621:10 (previous 551:54 from 2012-13)
Team consecutive shutouts (matches): 6 (previous 5 in 2013)
Team consecutive shutouts (minutes) in conference matches: 543:05 (previous 463:55 from 2004-05)
*Career averages and percentages are active and will continue to change
Players Mentioned
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