 "Photo: File photo")
 "Photo: File photo")
Natalie Bensky sings, plays guitar, plays basketball, is a river rafting guide and, most importantly, she is the starting goalkeeper for Chico State’s women’s soccer team.
Born in Eureka, Bensky started playing soccer recreationally when she was 6 years old in her hometown of Willow Creek. Her parents took her to various youth soccer clubs.
Bensky is a 2006 graduate of Arcata High School where she earned league MVP as a junior and helped her team achieve four straight league titles.
But Bensky didn’t start her career protecting the net. During her early years, she played primarily as a forward. It wasn’t until her junior year of high school that Bensky had her first shot at goalkeeper.
“I subbed in as a keeper for the team,” Bensky said. “I dove for the first ball that came and it hit me in the chest and the adrenaline started pumping. After that, I got hooked.”
She later visited Chico State where she met women’s soccer head coach Kim Sutton. Bensky wrote a letter to Sutton expressing her interest in becoming a Wildcat before being accepted to Chico State. Bensky joined the team her freshman year.
“She’s a really tough coach and expects a lot from you,” Bensky said. “It’s always for the best of you. It’s made me a better player.”
Transitioning from high school to college was a bit of a struggle for Bensky.
“Dealing with not playing and embracing the role we were given was hard,” Bensky said. “We used to be the best in our high school teams, but we had to respect the seniority of the other players.”
Bensky started 14 games last season as a junior for the Wildcats because the team’s original goalkeeper suffered an ankle injury. Bensky became starter her senior year. So far, the Wildcats are first place in the conference due in part to Bensky’s job protecting the net.
“I feel all the work that I’ve put in these three years, it’s finally paid off.” Bensky said. “I’m in the best shape of my life right now.”
Sutton wants her players to get fit and thinks strength makes players stand out from the rest of the team.
“You wish players would get it sooner,” Sutton said. “But the most important thing is that they got it now.”
There are many differences in this year’s women’s soccer team from team chemistry to talent. According to the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 poll, the Wildcats are ranked 24th in the nation.
“There is a lot more camaraderie,” Bensky said. “Everyone is on the same page — to achieve our goal and work hard.”
One of Bensky’s fondest memories is when her teammates stayed at her house while traveling to Bensky’s hometown before playing Humboldt State this year.
Bensky’s preparation for the match starts as soon as the national anthem is sung, she said. She picks up and smells the grass on the field and then looks up to the sky as she heads to her goal, she said.
Getting scored on as a goalkeeper can be a lot to handle and some crack under the pressure.
“You have to understand it happened. You just have to go to the next thing,” Bensky said. “It’s all about mental preparation. You’re going to get scored on, but it’s what you do afterward that counts.”
Maturity is something Sutton got to experience from Bensky in her four years on the team.
“She still has that fun, goofy personality, but there is more respect for her among everyone,” Sutton said.
In her last year at Chico State, Bensky is looking beyond the soccer field. As a kinesiology major, she wants to be a physical education teacher for elementary and middle school and eventually become a high school or college coach, she said.
Briana Scurry, goalkeeper for the United States women’s national soccer team, is one of many sources of inspiration for Bensky.
“I really admire the way she handles herself and the way she presents herself,” Bensky said.
One of Benskys other talents, as discovered by Sutton, is Bensky’s singing voice.
“She and her teammates made a little performance with Natalie on guitar,” Sutton said. “It was really good, just to show you that behind her athleticism and comedy, there is a great singer.”
Gerardo Rocha can be reached at
grocha@theorion.com
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