RHS goalie saves shots despite 'ET finger' injury during semifinal season

By CAROL STUART
Brentwood Home Page
Ravenwood senior goalkeeper Rose Hull has a regular reminder of last season when the Lady Raptors made the state semifinals for the first time – it’s her index finger “that kinda of looks like an ET finger if you will.”

Hull, who plays along with her RHS teammates in the Class AAA state quarterfinals Wednesday morning, missed a big chunk of her junior season early when she broke her finger badly. She had surgery including getting some screws implanted before she could return. 

Ravenwood keeper Rose Hull, center, and the rest of the Lady Raptors seniors were celebrated on Senior Night.

“It still looks pretty ugly,” she said. “That was tough for me, because I’ve never had an injury taking me out that long of time. It was tough from that angle, but it gave the team a chance to try some different things. They had a good start to the season … but absence makes the heart grow fonder. It was good to come back and finish the season.”

The Lady Raptors got a hot hand after Hull rejoined the club last fall, and this season they’ve been on a roll for most of the year. Ravenwood takes a 16-5 record into today’s 10:30 a.m. CDT game against Knoxville Farrgut (20-0-2) at Chattanooga Baylor, with three of the losses to fellow District 11-AAA state qualifier Franklin.

“You’re either the hero or the scapegoat,” Hull said about her position. “You could have a really great game or a really bad game, but you have to be able to shake it off. It’s tough from the mental aspects.

“It’s fun depending on the game. You’re either really bored or really excited. It’s a completely different game from the rest of the team. You’re by yourself, and you do more organizing. You have to make those one or two plays. Rather than 20 plays, you have a couple of big ones and you’ve got to do it right.”

Hull, verbally committed to play for Furman University, has played keeper since about her second or third year playing travel soccer. Before that she had competed in some other sports including swimming and basketball, and played forward quite a while before her select soccer coach switched her.

Now 6 feet tall, she thinks her physical appearance played a big part in moving her to guard the goal. Hull began playing keeper at about age 12 or 13 “and I haven’t stopped since,” she said.

“For me, being a goalkeeper is completely mental, the ability of the mind and being able to control 10 other people on the field at once,” Hull said. “That’s one thing my coach and I talk about. It’s a lot of tactics. It is physical and shot-stopping, but it’s more mental.”

Ravenwood, whose other two losses were to state qualifier Siegel 1-0 and to cross-town rival Brentwood, had to go through two sets of overtime halves and to penalty kicks before eliminating the Bruins in the district semifinals. But Hull wasn’t a part of the PKs because she had a handball just outside the box and was given a red card (ejection).

Backup Lindsey Todd came in to finish regulation and the four OTs while RHS played short-handed, then helped the Raptors win in the PK shootout 4-1.

“Being a goalkeeper you either play all the minutes or play none, unless you’re in a situation where two split time,” Hull said. “It was tough to watch, but at the same time Lindsey Todd was incredible. She is going to be great when I’m gone.

“ … I dug my own grave. I wish that play had gone down a little differently, but it worked out for us and we’re headed to state.”

Rose Hull and her parents on Senior Night

Todd was also one of two goalies who stepped up last season when Hull couldn’t play  when she had the hand surgery. The fluke didn't occur while Hull was trying to stop a shot, however.

"My hand went into a girl’s back when throwing it," she recalled. "I didn’t see her in my peripheral vision and she stepped in front of me. I didn’t know it was broken until after the game when I took off my glove."

She believes adrenaline allowed her to play with the pain, and says it kicks in now even though the finger is sensitive in some places. It's on her right hand, which is also her writing/throwing hand.

"It gets the job done most of the time," she said. And, while it might not be the best looking cosmetically speaking, "like any good scar" it has a story to tell of how it happened, Hull said.

Lady Raptors coach Ken White is a former college and professional coach -- and also is a former keeper and is the national coaches' group's goalkeeper instructor. He says the modern goalkeeper is a possession player.

"I tell her goalkeeping is 10% catching the ball and 90% reading and managing the game," he said of Hull.

"They’re the sweeper / keeper. They are in essence the first line of attack whenever they receive the ball and the last line of defense."

Hull had been playing for the Brentwood Soccer Club in select, but has switched to FC Alliance out of Knoxville -- which ironically may have some Farragut players on the team.

"We’re excited to get the opportunity," Hull said of the return to state. "I think this team really has a great amount of potential."

Ravenwood and Farragut have one common opponent, with the Lady Admirals tying Knoxville Catholic 1-1 in an early-season tournament and RHS winning 2-0 in the regular-season finale.

White, in his first year as the RHS girls coach, said his team needs to do a better job making quality decisions and finishing with shots on goal to win in the state. The Lady Raptors left Tuesday to stay overnight before Wednesday's game.

"I’m glad to be going to Chattanooga," he said. "I always drive through on the way to Tampa, and now I've got a reason to stop in Chattanooga.

"I look forward to (Wednesday's) game and the fact that I can spend an extra day in Chattanooga and visit Lookout Mountain and the (Tennessee) Aquarium. I want this trip to not only be a soccer trip but a life-long remembrance for the girls. I hope we’re able to stay longer and see Chattanooga."