Bledsoe happy to be in goal
After battling injuries, keeper gets to start
With Ashlyn Harris out due to injury, backup goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe knew she had a chance to prove herself.
After missing opportunities to play due to injuries this year and last year, Bledsoe was finally healthy when there was an opening in the lineup.
But with new and talented goalkeeper Caroline Stanley joining the team before the Pride’s game at Sky Blue FC, there was still no guarantee Bledsoe would play.
“Being out with the concussion and bringing in Caroline, I knew that the week of training was important, just to prove that I was ready to earn the starting spot,” she said. “[Goalkeeper coach] Lloyd [Yaxley] told me it wasn’t necessarily a given, so I’m like, ‘All right, well this is my shot, you know. I gotta prove that I’m the one that should be in the net.’ ”
The hard work in training paid off and Bledsoe got the starting job Saturday, nearly a year after her last start for the Pride.
“It was great to be back in the goal,” Bledsoe said. “I’ve just been waiting for an opportunity and hoping that whenever the team would need me, I’d be able to step in and help us win.”
While the Pride failed to earn a victory, the coaching staff was pleased with Bledsoe’s performance. Despite allowing two goals, she had several big saves throughout the game. But Bledsoe isn’t interested in personal praise if the team doesn’t come away with points.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t necessarily matter how our individual performances are if we’re not getting the result,” she said.
Bledsoe, who has been with the Pride since their inaugural season, has not had as many opportunities to play as she could have. Last year she suffered a fractured fibula and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. She couldn’t play when Harris was called up to the US women’s national team.
Despite the timing of her injury, Bledsoe tried to remain confident and do what she could to help the team succeed.
“I just embraced my role; tried to support the team in whatever way possible,” she said. “There’s more than 20 people on this roster and only 11 can play, so [I] tried to be a leader for those of us who weren’t on the field and tried to just turn up and cheer everyone on at practice.”
The injury also didn’t stop Bledsoe from trying to improve. While she couldn’t focus on footwork, she continued to work on handling drills and would bike to training. She ended up recovering much quicker than the team expected.
“I was actually back, like, probably a month quicker than they thought I would be,” she said. “I was actually in training toward the end of the season, but [I] just wasn’t able to dress out.”
Bledsoe earning the starting nod probably wasn’t a surprise to her teammates, who have seen first-hand the work she puts in every day. “Sometimes it’s harder as goalkeeper, not knowing a when you’re gonna come into the game,” defender Alanna Kennedy said ahead of the Pride’s match against Sky Blue FC. “Aubrey, every single session she’s here and she’s ready for her opportunity.”
With Harris likely out for close to two months, Bledsoe will be spending at least a few more games as Orlando’s starting goalkeeper. She hopes to use that time to help the team improve and start earning wins.
“I think it’s just focus for 90 minutes. We just have some mental lapses and they kill us,” she said. “Especially on this past weekend, we outplayed them. The only things that they created were just mental lapses on our part. … So you’ve gotta put in a 90-minute game.”