Profile: Playful Watson no joke in goal

As the eighth of nine children, sophomore Kristin Watson, the starting goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team, is used to being in the thick of things. Growing up in a family large enough to field its own starting line, soccer was part of everyday life. “I was just always at the soccer field,” Watson said. “My parents one weekend went to 24 soccer games from Friday to Sunday — of just their children. Especially being one of the youngest of nine, they always carted me around. So that was fun, always being surrounded by it.”Following in the footsteps of her six older brothers, soccer was not confined to grass outside. “We played in the house a lot — Mom didn’t really like that — a little two vs. two in the hallway,” she added.Watson was a forward until age 15, when she tried goalkeeping because of her height and immediately found her niche on the field.“It was really fun because I really like falling, so it was just kind of an excuse to jump as high as I can and land on the ground for fun. I totally loved it [and] still do,” Watson said.At 6 feet tall, Watson is able to stop almost any shot in the net. Her positive attitude and easy-going personality are also assets in high-pressure situations.Watson grew up watching two of her older brothers play together at St. Lawrence University. “It was really fun being 10 and being able to look up at them and watch them play,” she said. “I would look at their stats. Didn’t understand them, but I looked at them.”Looking at Watson’s stats this season, the numbers speak for themselves. She has a .833 save percentage and a .81 goals against average. She has started Princeton’s last nine games. The Tigers came out on top in six of those games, four of which were shutouts. The three losses were all by a one-goal margin.“I love shutouts,” Watson said. “As a goalie, you have to love shutouts. Whether you touch the ball a lot and keep it out of the net, or whether your team has an excellent game and you never touch the ball, it’s always a good feeling.”Her teammates call her Wats or Watty, nicknames that highlight her megawatt enthusiasm.“Watty is extremely energetic and she brings a ton of enthusiasm to every practice and game that we play,” junior midfielder Barb Previ said. “She has a strong voice as our back line of defense, she communicates very efficiently, and she has a strong presence in our goal that other teams definitely take notice of.”During games, Watson channels her energy into focused intensity as she directs the defenders around her.“When I was younger I used to sing songs [when the ball was at the other end of the field] but now you have to stay focused in on the game, organize the defense, let them know where the forwards are,” Watson said. “It’s a quick game, so transitions happen so often. You just want to make sure you know where everyone is.”This communication makes Watson a natural leader. “As a goalie she is very assertive and she carries a confidence about her that is reassuring on the field,” senior midfielder and co-captain Kayleigh Iatarola said. “We have emphasized how important it is that our goalies be one of the lead communicators on the field, and I think she has begun to step into that role well.”“She has made some unbelievable saves at point-blank range too,” Iatarola said. “I remember at Yale, the ball was down in our box and we were trying to clear it out in the final minutes of the game. It was a madhouse and a Yale player got a shot off that somehow made it through all of us, and Wats came up with a huge save.” Her three saves against Yale all came in the final 11 minutes of the game and secured Princeton’s 1-0 victory.“The Yale game was fun because I made a last-minute save off a corner,” Watson said. “That was awesome…I like making big saves in the Ivies.”Watson also knows how to have fun off the field. Her pre-game ritual includes pumping up her teammates with dance moves.“Watty puts on several dance routines in the locker room before every game with selections from artists such as Miley Cyrus and R. Kelly,” Previ said. “Those dances always get our team laughing before every game.”Watson spent last year away from campus and was the lead teacher for 2-year-olds at a day-care center in her hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz. Working with 20 children in a classroom called the “Tiny Tiger Room,” Watson thrived with the age-group.“I have an extreme amount of patience for them and just think they’re the funniest things in the world,” Watson said.Her children picked up on her soccer skills too. “One time Seamus, one of my kids, was running towards me to jump into my arms, and another one of the kids came and tackled him and said, ‘I saved you, Kristin.’ He straight up football-style tackled him. That’s probably one of the funniest things I’ve seen.”