Senior Anderson anchors Highland in goal

Updated: August 31, 2011 9:56PM

When Mike Anderson was standing among a group of kids on a soccer field while positions were sorted out, one thing was usually for certain — Anderson would end up in the goal.

Tall, long arms, and long legs. Yep, that’s your goalkeeper, kids. And it’s stuck for the Highland senior.

“Yeah, I’ve always played goalie since I was little,” Anderson said. “I was always the taller kid, so, naturally, they put the big kid back there.”

Nowadays, it’s his natural position. It’s what he does.

“I love it,” Anderson said. “I was built for it, I guess.”

Anderson is one of Highland’s tri-captains, a guy Trojans coach Mirko Maric looks to for team leadership based on Anderson’s experience at the position and with the game.

“He’s always been vocal,” Maric said. “But he’s more of a laid-back leader. He gets the defense ready and settles everybody down. He leads by example, too. He’s always at practice and always plays hard.”

And that’s pretty much the only speed Anderson has these days — constantly on the go.

He practices with the soccer team and then heads over to practice with the football team as a punter and kicker. He plays basketball in the winter and used to run track in the spring but has since given up that sport. Plus, he said he’s in the midst of one of his most difficult semesters in high school, as he prepares to hopefully be accepted into West Point.

“My schedule this year is pretty rigorous,” Anderson said. “It definitely keeps me busy.”

Anderson is a bit of an oddity in the soccer circles, considering he plays at such a high level. Unlike most other top area high school players, Anderson doesn’t play the sport year round. He stopped playing club soccer a couple years ago.

“I mean, playing goalie has just been natural to me,” Anderson said. “It’s a little different than if I were playing in the field and not playing year round.”

Maric said he hasn’t noticed a difference since Anderson decided to give up club soccer.

“For him, it doesn’t seem to hurt him that much,” Maric said. “Like everyone else, he has some things he can work on. But he doesn’t drop off. He’s pretty good.”

Highland is off to a somewhat surprisingly slow start this season. The Trojans are 1-3-1, falling to three tough opponents in Lake Central, Andrean and Crown Point, while tying Michigan City.

The team boasts nine seniors, and Anderson said it’s up to them to get things turned around.

“With nine seniors on the roster, we’re all peers,” Anderson said. “So we have to work together. Cohesion is the key. It’s been a rough week, and we’ve underachieved.

“We’re better than that. We all know we have to make some adjustments and have to get it done.”

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