At the beginning of the 2022-2023 boys soccer season, junior Connor Cull was ready to begin a consistent season as a starting left midfielder. After constant off-season training, he felt as though he was prepared to be a prominent starter for the young Hawks squad. With that being said, Cull was also aware of a groin injury he was battling for a large portion of the year. Despite multiple rest periods and significant time off, the injury still lingered for Cull.
With his injury, it was common for Cull to start a game, and then be forced to leave due to the pain. This was obviously disappointing for him, considering the amount of time and effort he put into preparing for the game.
“My injury’s been building up over the years and it’s gotten frustrating,” said Cull. “It’s unpredictable how many minutes I will be able to play each game.”
Therefore, it sadly came as no surprise to Cull when after only five minutes of his first game of the season, he was forced to sit out the rest of the game; however, Cull was not the only Woodland player to get injured in this game. Starting goalkeeper Brayden Raudenbush, a promising sophomore, was also prepared to have a breakout season. He went down with a hand injury, and was expected to be out of practice and games for a significant period of time.
This put Woodland in a very difficult position, as having a solid goalie was crucial for the team’s success. With a high level of uncertainty, Coach Kenan Collins made a bold choice: Putting Cull in as goalie.
With Cull’s injury only getting worse, he accepted the opportunity to try a new position. Knowing that he would still be on the field with his team but holding a much less chance of injury was certainly appealing to him; however, Cull also knew that he had never played goalie in his life, and the opportunity was nerve-racking to say the least.
“I remember being very nervous about the opportunity considering I never actually trained for goalie,” said Cull.
Despite the level of uncertainty, Cull stepped up for his team and made his debut in net against Wolcott. To his own surprise, Cull made 13 saves and kept a “clean sheet” as he did not concede a single goal.
“It was scary because I knew if I made a mistake it would result in a goal,” said Cull. “Surprisingly though, I ended up having a pretty good performance that first game.”
Cull officially had his first start as a goalie under his belt, and was ready to prove that the first game was not just beginner’s luck. He did just that, and kept a clean sheet the next game. Just like that, a player with no goalie experience had a picture perfect start 3 games in.
Following the first three, Cull soon faced some adversity in his new role. He allowed 4 goals in a loss against Pomperaug, and then 1 against Holy Cross in a tie. After this, he allowed 1 goal in a tie against Torrington and a win against Derby.
“I felt like I definitely could have done better during that four game stretch of games,” said Cull. “I felt like I was letting the team down.”
From that point on, Cull caught fire. He finished his career as a goalie with 3 clean sheets, and 3 Woodland wins. This led to Cull holding 6 clean sheets in 9 starts, stats that would be impressive for a typical goalie, nevermind a first time goalie. After his 9th start, Raudenbush returned and Cull was ready to play in the field again.
“I was relieved to be honest once Raudenbush returned,” said Cull. “Being goalie was a big responsibility and I was excited to get back on the field.”
Just like that, Cull’s goalie career is over until further notice. When reflecting on his play, Cull is quite proud of how he performed.
“I definitely was not perfect and I made a fair bit of mistakes,” said Cull. “But I feel like I did the best that I could.”
Despite not exactly “loving” his full experience in goal, Cull knows that it was a great way for him to stay on the field, and that he was a key asset to the team.
“I enjoyed being goalie to a point. It was fun at times and I feel as though I’d be willing to do it again if they ever needed me.”
