April
25, 2005
GLEN ROCK - For every game Sarah Volkomer has played in between the pipes for Glen Rock over the past three years, it seemed she not only added to her highlight reel of miraculous saves but also her reputation as a top-notch goalie.
While the athletic ability and the skills Volkomer displayed were unmatched, the only she attribute she was unable to add at any time was inches to her 5-foot-4 frame. Most Division 1 coaching staffs look for goalies who are at least six inches taller than Volkomer, however, in the end her skills were too much to overlook.
"One coaching staff in particular was surprised when they first met me because I wasn't this big goalie," Volkomer said. "But once coaches saw me make plays on the field, they started to forget about my height.
"I think I've proven over the years that even if you're not the prototypical height, if you play with heart and you show you can play on a high level, coaches see that and that gets them interested in having you play for them."
And coaches did see that,
among them the staff at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts,
where Volkomer has signed to play soccer next year.
"I'm very excited about going to Northeastern and being in Boston,"
Volkomer said. "I just felt comfortable with the area, the school, and
the coaching staff."
Of course, Northeastern wasn't the only school that showed serious interest in Volkomer. Rutgers University, UNC-Wilmington, Stony Brook and Kentucky were all looking at her to play goalie but in the end Northeastern felt like the best fit.
I actually just saw the movie 'Fever Pitch' (with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore)," said Volkomer, "and it just made me so excited to be up in that area."
Although most Group 1 players are overlooked in year-end awards, Volkomer proved she was one of the best at her craft. She was named to the Associated Press first-team all-state and was just one of two goalies in the United States to get recognizes on the National Coaches' of America All-American team.
Volkomer finished her senior season with a 17-3-2 mark with 15 shutouts. She allowed six goals all year and ended her brilliant career with two section titles, two co-Group 1 championships, a 58-5-4 mark with an eye-popping 52 shutouts, a school record.
In addition to her play on the soccer field, Volkomer's ability on the softball diamond has also turned some heads. With her outstanding range and cannon-like arm at shortstop, she has helped make Glen Rock a force to be reckoned and even made her consider trying to play both sports in college.
"I love softball. I'd even say I loved softball more than soccer growing up, but I realized that soccer came easier to me and I started on some very good teams," Volkomer said. "I thought about going to Cortland State in upstate New York to play both, but I'm going to stick with soccer."
In addition to her tremendous athletic ability, Volkomer also had some help getting noticed by colleges by way of a Recruiting Video from NorthJerseySports.com. The video, which covered games during her club season as well as her high school season, turned out to be a critical component in the recruiting process.
"The recruiting video was instrumental in me going to Northeastern," said Volkomer. "The coaching staff never saw me play until the goalie coach saw the video. They ended up giving me a look and now I'm going there.
"The video was definitely
the biggest key in me getting noticed by them."
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