Gwen Haffenden, Freshman UR Women’s Soccer (URWS) goalkeeper, had her first shutout against Houghton College last Wednesday, making six saves and allowing the Yellowjackets to tie 0–0. In her first collegiate start three days earlier, Haffenden recorded seven saves against Ithaca.
What is your earliest soccer memory? When did the sport become a serious part of your life?
My earliest soccer memory came during house league soccer when my dad was my coach. I had the ball in front of a huge group of my teammates and the other team, and I just kicked it as hard as I could and the ball ended up in the back of the net. I was so excited that I ran over and gave my dad a huge hug.
Soccer became serious for me when I became a goalkeeper around the age of eight or nine. I absolutely loved the position and always wanted to work harder to improve.
Who has inspired you the most throughout your soccer career? Why?
My older brother has inspired me the most throughout my career, because I would always see how hard he worked on and off the football field. I would always want to work harder to try and be better than he was. We would always push each other, which made both of us better, and now we both play college sports.
URWS has done very well defensively this season so far; what would you say is the biggest reason for that?
I think the biggest reason why we have done well defensively this season is because of how solid each of our lines are, especially our back line. Everyone works so well together and knows their role, so that makes it so much easier to play defensively as a unit.
In your mind, what was the biggest soccer moment of your personal career?
The biggest soccer moment of my personal career was realizing that I would be able to continue playing in college. Once soccer started becoming really serious for me, I always knew that I wanted to play in college, so when that time came, it was really exciting.
Who is your favorite professional soccer player to watch and why?
My favorite professional soccer player to watch is Briana Scurry. Even though she doesn’t play anymore, I love watching old game film and really learning from her strong and energetic stature as a goalkeeper.
If you were reborn in a new life, would you rather be in the future or the past?
I would rather be reborn in the future, as opposed to the past. The future is still unknown, so it can be filled with brand new adventures.
