There Is No Sunshine When She’s Gone

Saint Martin's University Women's Soccer goalie Sunny De Boer.
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Submitted by Christine Towey for Saint Martin’s University

Saint Martin's University Women's Soccer goalie Sunny De Boer.
Saint Martin’s University Women’s Soccer goalie Sunny De Boer.  Photo by Megan Miller

Imagine having twenty-four people counting on you. Imagine having them literally count on you not to let them down every time they face a challenge. How’s that for a lot of pressure?

Welcome to Sunny De Boer’s (Meridian, Idaho) life. This 5’9” sophomore is the one and only goalie for the women’s soccer team at Saint Martin’s University. She’s there rain or shine protecting the goal box and cheering her teammates on as they challenge their opponents to dare try score on her.

This is Sunny’s year to show what she’s made of, and she’s taking every opportunity she has since last year the chance never arose. Just as her freshmen season was starting her wrist was injured.

“I broke it a week and a half into season. I fell on it weird and rolled over it at goalie training. I was in a cast for four weeks, then another two (weeks) in a brace.” After it seemed like the wait was over and she could play again, another blow ended that hope. De Boer’s wrist broke again. The second break was when she took a point blank shot and her wrist bent oddly.

This seemingly never-ending injury wasn’t done wreaking havoc after the second fracture healed either.

“The bone wouldn’t heal, it died so they had to go in and take it out. I was so heartbroken.” After all that waiting De Boer was sidelined the rest of the season for her surgery, then for rehabilitation.

Sunny is no stranger to surgery, having to go through one in high school to fix her torn ACL and meniscus resulting from a soccer injury as well. Regardless of the injury, having to watch the team play without you can be frustrating.

“It was really hard to watch, at practice I tried to do what I could. I trained on the field a little bit, but I couldn’t do any contact because they didn’t want me to fall and rehurt it.”

Through all this waiting and hoping though she never gave up or considered quitting.

“I wouldn’t know what to do with myself without soccer. It was really frustrating not being able to travel, but I never thought about quitting.” This spirit and determination is what is driving her as Saint Martin’s only goalie.

When asked if she felt pressured by being the only women in the goal box she shrugged her shoulders and answered with a nonchalant, “No. Always on my club teams growing up I was the only goalkeeper. Obviously, this is a higher level than that but I’m ready for the challenge.”

Sunny’s wrist is now strong and ready for the pressure of the game. The next home game for the women’s soccer team is against Simon Fraser University (B.C.) on September 25 at 3:30 p.m.  A full schedule of games for the season can be found here.

 

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