2023年1月23日
普里西拉·孔特雷拉斯摄于21、23年
Skiing in the Alps or racing along a zip line at speeds nearing 70 miles per hour are typical activities for St. 博纳旺蒂尔大学 soccer goalie Chiara Gottinger, 谁在一个活跃的环境中长大, 奥地利户外家庭.
A love of soccer and an aim of playing at the Division I level in the United States brought her to St. 博纳旺蒂尔. The friends she’s made and the rural beauty of campus have kept her here.
的大二学生
体育管理专业 said that the size and friendliness of campus remind her of her hometown of Pirching am Traubenberg, 位于奥地利东南角, 人口约2,000. Though German is her first language, she has been speaking English since grade school.
“From the very beginning, I felt really comfortable with the university,戈廷格说. “I saw pictures of campus and thought to myself that 博纳旺蒂尔 could be a good fit for me.”
Gottinger serves as a goalkeeper for Bona’s Division I women’s soccer team and was twice named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week during the fall 2022 season.
我感到很荣幸, but I also thought that it’s not a big deal — until everybody on my team freaked out and shared it on social media,戈廷格笑着说.
She noted that the awards and recognition are a terrific complement to the hard work she and her teammates put forth on a daily basis, though added that she doesn’t play for the awards.
“我踢球是因为我喜欢足球.”
That passion — along with her determination and grit — are evidenced in her season stats. Gottinger led all of the NCAA Division I with a total of 163 saves this past fall. Following her freshman year, she was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference teams.
“Our coach always said the girls are like sisters and this season we were able to experience that more than ever. 我们是一个紧密的团队, 基本上全天候在一起, 无论是在球场上, 在训练或更衣室里,戈廷格说.
她在女子足球队的时候, Gottinger has found friendships that will last a lifetime. One such bond is with her teammate and roommate Elisabeth Ptacek, 哈德森大学市场营销专业大二学生, 俄亥俄州.
Gottinger recalls meeting Ptacek and her parents during the preseason and instantly feeling welcomed when Ptacek’s mother said to her “You are part of our family now.”
Both of Ptacek’s parents played soccer collegiately and have invited Gottinger to spend the holidays with them. 在这个季节, Gottinger’s and Ptacek’s family met for the first time when Gottinger’s family traveled to the U.S. 去看格廷格的比赛.
“Not only is she a great teammate and roommate, she is also a fantastic friend,” said Ptacek. “I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with and getting to know Chiara these past two seasons.”
Gottinger began her soccer career at the age of 6 with an all-boys team in Austria. 七年后, she was part of a girls youth team that competed at the national level within the country and claimed the first championship title in the girls competition for Styria. She then went on to play for the women’s team of the club SK Sturm Graz, 在2017/18赛季赢得第二个联赛冠军. 她记得那是一段非常特别的时光
这是俱乐部历史上第一个女子冠军, and it was my first season not playing at youth level,”她说。.
Gottinger worked with a soccer agency in Austria to be able to play in America, beginning the recruiting process during the second lockdown of COVID.
“一开始, I didn’t think I was going to become a DI player as the agency told me I would be likely to play Division II because schools want more American soccer players,戈廷格说. “但只有一级学校找到了我. 我当时想，哇，这太疯狂了!”
从那以后，Gottinger成功地让St. 博纳旺蒂尔是她远离家乡的家. Her favorite place to hang out around campus when she is not on the soccer field is the Hickey Dinning Hall. She spends a lot of time with teammates there, working on assignments or just sitting and talking.
“When you go to university in Austria, you really just go there to study and then you go back home. You don’t play for your university’s soccer team, and you don’t live on campus. 这是一种完全不同的体验. So even though I am far from home, it is still nice here. 我可以真正专注于足球和学习. 我喜欢这个校园，”戈廷格说.
Gottinger looks forward to having a locker room dedicated to the women’s soccer team with the new fundraising campaign, 更大胆的博纳文蒂尔:点燃. 激励. 投资. One of the campaign’s top priorities is to transform St. 博纳旺蒂尔’s athletics facilities and ensure a strongly competitive Division I experience for every student-athlete.
“There are so many things I am excited about, but I am most excited for the locker rooms. 作为一个团队，我们在这个领域花了很多时间. 当你的球队有专门的更衣室时, 你的东西总是在那里, 而不是在你的房间里,戈廷格说. “If every single team has a locker room, it also shows that every team gets treated the same.”
Gottinger is always looking for opportunities to improve her skills on and off the field.
“As a goalkeeper, you are watching everyone and observing their next move. I learn a lot from just observing people’s movements,戈廷格说.
She dreams of one day working with a professional sports club in Europe and interacting more with the fans.
The possibilities are endless as she continues to shine in her soccer career.
Learn how you can help ignite and inspire student-athletes like Chiara Gottinger
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