Benet senior Emma Hlavin became a goalkeeper by default.
“When I was about 8, no one else wanted to play it, so they put me in there because I play basketball, so I have good hands and I can catch the ball really well,” Hlavin said. “And I was tall, so that really helps. Then when I was 10 I started playing full-time.”
Nearly a decade on, Hlavin has embraced a role that many players avoid. Life between the posts isn’t for the faint of heart, and the athletic Hlavin has the heart of a lion.
“I have a love-hate relationship with being goalie,” Hlavin said. “I love having pressure on me, so that actually helps me a lot.
“I’m better in high-intensity situations, but also [you can make] one mistake and it’s a goal. It’s a lot of pressure but I can handle it.”
The four-year starter has handled it with aplomb. Hlavin has 33 career shutouts and Benet is 65-14-8 during that span, including 12-1-1 this season.
“Emma is a great athlete and a great person,” Benet senior defender Rachel Bernicky said. “She’s just a really good leader on the field and off the field.”
Fun-loving at times and serious when it matters, Hlavin leads by example, taking charge of her box while inspiring her teammates with her toughness.
“She knows how to communicate,” Bernicky said. “She won’t scream at you like she’s angry. She’ll scream at you constructively.
“She knows when to come out and when to let you take the ball. I’m glad I got to play with her for three years.”
Unlike many top goalkeepers, Hlavin doesn’t play year-round. She was a key contributor as a backup center on Benet’s state championship basketball team and thus missed most of the preseason training.
But through hard work with retired Benet coach Henry Wind, a former goalie, Hlavin made a quick transition.
“What I admire about her is that every year when she starts she’s kind of behind because of basketball,” Benet coach Bob Gros said. “She hasn’t had a lot of touches. Henry has really helped her through the years learn a lot about the proper footwork, the angles and that stuff. By the time we get midway through the season, Emma is back into form.”
“It’s always been that stick-to-itiveness. You can tell her directly [where she has to improve] and she’ll go to work on it.”
In some respects, Hlavin’s role in soccer is similar to that of basketball, where she did the unheralded dirty work of rebounding and defense, often at a price. She received two black eyes this winter, including a nasty shiner during the state semifinal win over Homewood-Flossmoor. Her eye was swollen shut the next morning, but she recovered to help the Redwings beat Fremd to win their first state title that evening.
“I’m not the big, flashy player,” Hlavin said. “I like to do the little things that help the team out and I like doing the dirty work, getting stuff done and just whatever it takes to win.”
The basketball title was special because she shared it with her father, Justin, a volunteer coach at Benet. Both father and daughter received a medal, something that eluded Justin, who played on the Benet boys basketball teams that twice lost in the state quarterfinals.
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“When we made state I told him, ‘Dad, I’m going to get you a medal,'” Hlavin said. “So I did it.”
Hlavin, who will not play in college, is seeking another state medal this spring. The Redwings won’t be favored against larger schools in the talent-rich Naperville area, but Hlavin isn’t fazed.
“I think we have a good chance,” Hlavin said. “Last year we made it to the sectional finals so we’re hoping to make it out of sectionals this year and if that happens, who knows? We could make a good run.”
Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.