Marysville Getchell’s ex-goalkeeper Wika is now trying to score goals

Published 10:34 pm Monday, October 19, 2015

MARYSVILLE — Carley Wika didn’t see a position change coming.

The Marysville Getchell junior, who was an honorable mention All-Wesco 3A North goalkeeper last season, has stepped out of the net into a forward position this year. The switch is a bit of a role reversal for Wika, who has gone from trying to stop goals to trying to score them.

“(Marysville Getchell head coach Wayne Nash) came up to me at tryouts and asked if I’d like to play on the field full time,” Wika said. “I was like, ‘Well, is that what you want me to do? Is that what you want for the team?’

“OK, I’ll do it.”

Nash had envisioned a scheme change for Marysville Getchell this season that required a player who was fast and a bit taller at forward.

Wika fit the bill.

“She’s an amazing athlete and at tryouts she played on the field before we had keepers in the net and she was our No. 2 forward when we were tracking stats,” Nash said. “… I let her make that decision because it’s a big one and she said that she would do whatever she needed to for the team.”

An abundance of goalkeepers meant the Chargers could absorb moving Wika out of the net. Junior Rylee Shear and freshman Kaitlynn Knocke impressed Nash at tryouts and convinced the coach he could make the change.

“We are blessed at the goalie position,” Nash said. “… Carley (left) big shoes to fill because of her quality, but I thought these kids could step up and do it, and I feel they have.”

It was the latest in a series of position changes for Wika, who switched from playing midfield for her select team to goalkeeper for the Chargers her freshman season. The transition back to the field took some getting used to.

“I didn’t have a lot of confidence going into it,” she said. “I was constantly asking questions like, ‘Am I doing it right? I feel like I’m doing something wrong.’ … It was nerve-wracking until I got into the position and then it was really exciting. When I started playing, it felt like a rush — a lot of adrenaline.”

Nash said Wika has grown into the position and has done a good job of setting up her teammates for success. Wika has two assists and no goals this season, but her numbers are a bit lower than expected because she missed the past two weeks after suffering a concussion in a game against Marysville Pilchuck on Sept. 28.

The Chargers (3-8-1) are 0-4-1 without Wika, who plans to return for Marysville Getchell’s game Tuesday against Lynnwood.

“Since we haven’t had her for the last two weeks, we’ve seen the decrease in our ability to attack,” Nash said. “It hasn’t translated into goals, and that’s not what my intention was because the role that she plays is a role where she’s distributing with a chance to score, but she’s really set up a lot of our offense so that other people can score.

“She was getting so good at assisting that it put a lot of attention on the other forwards and then she would be able to pick up goals from behind that. We haven’t seen that yet, but I still think we have time to get there this season.”

Wika, a captain for the Chargers, is almost too unselfish, Nash said with a laugh.

“She’s always willing to do whatever she needs to do,” Nash said. “She’s a captain as a junior. She will put others first. It’s something that we’ve talked about: That’s a good skill, but you also have to have balance in that, too.”

Wika isn’t sure which position she prefers. She planned on being a goalkeeper in college but is open to switching roles — again.

“I have no idea yet,” Wika said. “It scares me to say I want to be a forward full-time because I’ve put so much time into being a goalkeeper. But I don’t know. I really like (forward).

“They’re both difficult and easy at the same time. Goalkeeping is a lot on your body and that pressure of the game, but then as a forward you’re a lot more relaxed and have a lot more things to do on the field. But it’s really hard trying to get the technique down.”

For Wika, the Chargers’ success is the most important thing, though she does have a personal goal for the 2015 season.

“If I can give it off to someone else for a better shot, I’ll do that,” Wika said, “but I definitely want to score this year … at least once.”