Sophomore Nicole Shulman traveled to Israel in September for 10 days, but not just to visit. She had the opportunity to play goalkeeper for Israel’s 17-and-under soccer team, a team that prepares players to potentially play for the Israeli national soccer team. Shulman’s highlight videos impressed coach Iris Antman enough to convince him to invite her to join the prestigious Israeli team.
Devoting two hours per day five days per week to improving and practicing, Shulman has been playing for the Burlingame Soccer Club for five years with her close friends, sophomores Jayla Stokesberry and Colleen Morimoto.
“She’s a good person to talk to,” says Stokesberry. “I feel comfortable around her. She always makes me laugh.”
Morimoto adds, “[Shulman is] super supportive and really funny. When the mood is down, she helps bring it up.”
Shulman finds her inspiration in her parents, mostly her father. He was the one who connected her to Antman, thus allowing her to have the opportunity to compete at the national level.
She is also inspired by German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, explaining, “He does so many amazing saves and is such a different and confident player that is key to many victories. He also adds a spark to the game because of his abilities to perform untraditional moves.”
On her trip in Israel, Shulman met the members of the Israeli national team. From this experience, she began to appreciate the difficulties of the lives of some of the players: “They each had their own story and they had to come up from poor conditions.”
“[Going to Israel] was the most amazing experience of my life,” she explains. “I gained more confidence because I had to adapt in a new environment with players who I’ve never played with before. It made me step out of my comfort zone … and I’m more confident in school today.”
While on the Israeli team, Shulman played the entirety of each of her team’s three qualifying games in the Union of European Football Association’s Women’s Under-17 Championships against Switzerland, Denmark and Slovakia in which Israel lost 1-0, 2-0, and 1-0, respectively.
However, Shulman views the games more positively, saying, “I made about 10 good saves in the three games we played.”
That confidence in her academic abilities has carried over to her performance in the classroom. “She’s a model student,” says English teacher Jim Daniel. “She’s pretty much always got the right answer.”
Becoming a potential national player in any sport is a huge accomplishment, and Stokesberry acknowledges Shulman’s skill and dedication in achieving this: “It’s amazing to know someone that good at soccer,” she says, “It’s an honor to play with someone so good … One time we were in a final game and she really wanted to take the penalty kick to win the game, and she’s a goalkeeper, but she still scored it and we won.”
Shulman is excited to go back to play for the Israeli 17-and-under team, but is still deciding whether she will pursue soccer as a career or keep it as a hobby. She is hoping to have a chance at the American national team as well, but for the time being, isn’t overly concerned with her future.
“As long as you keep doing what you want to do, you’ll [succeed],” she concludes.
