By: Victoria White
 
    In the rapid sea of teams racing up and down the field, fans cheer with urgency. Calm and composed, yet alert and ready, she waits in the back of the goal until the strikers close in.
 
    Suddenly, the rhythm of her heartbeat keeping time like a drum, senior goalkeeper Catie Brown dives to defend the crisscross-laced net. Predicting opponents' moves, she knocks away the ball with a whoosh, as her teammates jump up in excitement and relief.
 
 
    For Brown, who is preparing for Sunday's 7 p.m. home match against Florida International, one of the best feelings is the exultation that accompanies a big save.
 
    "That adrenaline that you get from that is such a good feeling and then, you're teammates are behind you on it, too," Brown said. "Just that feeling that you get from making a save is probably my favorite part about being a goalkeeper."
 
    But, often, there is extreme pressure accompanying the last line of defense.
 
    "I think the hardest thing about being the goalkeeper is you kind of have to be perfect all the time," Brown said. "You make one mistake, and it could be game changing. But, that's also the best part, because when you do make a save, it's usually a game changing save."
 
    The save that stands out most to the senior happened in 2016 at the conference tournament.

    "My sophomore year, when we were in the American Athletic Conference, it was the first round," Brown said. "We went to penalty kicks, and I saved the last penalty kick to send us onto the next round."
 
 
"The best feeling about that was just running into my team," Brown said smiling. "We were in this huge dogpile and just that overwhelming feeling of joy with my team and being able to contribute and push us onto that next level was probably my favorite save so far. That was pretty cool."
 
 
    Including the epic battle against UCF, Brown recorded 10 saves (including two PK saves) in 290 minutes of play at the tournament, posting an 83.3 save percentage and securing a spot on the 2016 AAC All-Tournament Team.
 
    As a sophomore and junior, Brown played and started in every game. Throughout her collegiate career, including the HBU victory on Sept. 2, 2018, she has notched 4,420:25 minutes of competition with the Mustangs.
 
    The Sacramento, California, native, even ranks ninth in school history for most shutouts, at 12 for the Red & Blue.

    Donning a different color uniform and gloves is one distinction of the position, so during corner kicks or when multiple people are piled under the net, goalies can be distinguished from other players.
 
    Traditionally, the goalkeeper gets to wear the number one, as well, which is emblazoned on the front of Brown's long sleeve jersey.
   

    Since the earliest origins of sport, the protectors on the pitch have been integral to the game, that ancient records say began in China during the second and third century B.C. and was famously turned into the football of today by England. But, throughout the years, rules like the back pass rule, which came on the scene during the 1990's, have changed the role in some ways.
 
    One constant, however, is the heart of the unsung hero, hurling through the air to block the path of an impending enemy score.
 
    Dedicated to defending the goal, at the beginning of the season, Brown says the team chemistry on the Hilltop is high. 
 
    "The way the team is meshing really aids in us coming together to learn these new skills and teach the freshmen what we've been working on," Brown said.
 
    Freshmen Samantha Estrada and Kierstin Flint make up the rest of the goalkeeper core.
 
    "That's my biggest hope, is just overall team success and keeping that chemistry throughout the season," Brown said.
 
    Embracing a winning mentality, Brown has ambitious expectations for the remainder of the season.

    "We're always building and we always want the next year to be better than the last," Brown said. "Through my experience, we've definitely built on that every year. This is just another step on the journey. I hope that our senior year is our most successful, and we can have another chance at the American Tournament Championship and then, a successful run in the NCAAs."