Goalkeeper Walker keeps Pioneers in games

Heritage junior goalkeeper Austin Walker may not routinely make the kind of acrobatic saves that helped turn his idol — Iker Casillas of the Spanish national team — into a star.

But he is as sure-handed as any keeper in the area when it comes to making a big stop with the game on the line.

“He’s very consistent doing his job, not very spectacular,” Heritage coach Guillermo Sarlo said. “He does what he has to do.”

Walker earned honorable mention all-Seminole District recognition as a sophomore first-year starter for the Pioneers, and has only gotten stronger this spring.

“He’s improved a lot compared to last year,” Sarlo said. “He’s much better now and his senior year, he’ll be an excellent keeper.

“He’s very talented and dedicated,” he added. “He’s a natural talent. His reflexes are very good.”

Walker has posted eight shutouts this season, two fewer than Jefferson Forest’s Blake Hubbard, though he has been forced to make three times as many saves.

“We’ve scored 40 goals this season and given up 20,” Sarlo said.

The Pioneers (9-6-1, 7-4-1 Seminole District) posted back-to-back 1-0 wins over Amherst and Brookville last week to secure third place behind JF and the Bees going into next week’s district tournament.

“Our defense has been pretty good at backing me up,” Walker said. “We were a little shaky at the beginning of the season, but in the past couple games, we’ve been playing really well and we’re going into the district tournament with a lot of momentum.”

Heritage, seeded third, hosts sixth-seeded Staunton River in Monday’s first round, starting at 6 p.m., with the semifinals and championship games set for Wednesday and Friday, respectively, on Amherst’s turf field.

The Lancers, who were shut out 1-0 by the Pioneers twice, hope they don’t have to face Walker again in the postseason.

“If there’s a better keeper in (Region III), I’d like to see it because I haven’t yet,” Amherst coach Tom McBride said. “(He’s) probably … one of the best goalkeepers in the state. You basically have to shoot it out of a cannon to get it by him.”

Walker made nine saves in Friday’s home triumph, watching a penalty kick sail over the crossbar with the teams locked in a scoreless second half tie.

“We were off frame quite a bit and again that’s because of his presence,” McBride said. “We come in knowing that it’s going to take a great shot to get one by him. Everywhere we put the ball, there he is making a diving save or getting his hands on the ball. We just haven’t found a way to get it past that guy yet. He just shuts you down.”

After first starting in goal at Sandusky Middle, and then on Heritage’s JV team as a freshman, Walker adjusted quickly to the speed of the varsity game.

“I’m learning about the pace of the game and how it works, being aware of what’s going on the whole time,” Walker said.

Unlike some keepers who take unnecessary risks by charging out of the cage to confront a play head-on, Walker prefers to take a conservative approach.

“I’ll go out if I absolutely need to,” he said.

While he can punt 50-50 balls to midfield and beyond, he typically sends short outlet passes to build the attack from the back.

“I throw probably more than I kick because … I’m more accurate with my throws,” Walker said.

Besides his technical fundamentals, he has improved his communication skills with his defense this season.

“I’ve gotten to be a little more (vocal) this year,” he said.

At 5-foot-10, he may not have the size to play at a Division I school, unless he hits a growth spurt as a senior.

“You really need to be a little taller to be an ideal keeper,” Sarlo said.

But he has the ideal mindset and knows where to position himself to cut down angles and cover all corners of the cage.

With Walker surrounded by a strong defense and bolstered by talented playmakers and scorers, such as midfielder Caleb Choi and forwards Stefan Phelps and Stephan Bracamonte, the Pioneers have the potential to make deep district and Region III tournament runs.

“We’ve got a lot of athletic talent,” Walker said.