Senior goalkeeper Fabian Otte said he remembers exactly how he ended up playing goalie.
“It’s kind of a funny story,” Otte said. “I don’t want to say I was a fat kid, but I was a fat kid. My coach told me, ‘You can’t run. Just stay in goal and don’t run. You’re too slow anyway.’ So that’s how I became a goalkeeper.”
“Through the years I started to develop a talent for playing goalkeeper, and I was pretty good at it so I decided to stick with it. Then I lost weight and got even better at it.”
Otte said he has grown to love everything about being a goalkeeper, including the type of stress he endures during games. Most times, Otte will do nothing for 88 minutes; but for the other two minutes of a game, he is under immense pressure as State’s final line of defense.
“There’s a lot of pressure because you can’t make mistakes, but you can also become the hero in a game,” Otte said. “I’m deciding many games just by making saves or not making saves. That’s a big responsibility that I really like.”
Otte, originally from Muenster, Germany, has started 40 games for State since joining in 2011. The senior has recorded 10 shutouts in his career for the Wolfpack, and he has allowed only two goals through four games this season.
Before coming to Raleigh, Otte was playing in the German youth soccer system. But American collegiate soccer had a special appeal to Otte. Otte said he hopes to become a professional soccer player after graduating. For the German, getting his degree was first and foremost.
“My mom always wanted me to get a degree, which I’ve finally done now that I’m graduating in December,” Otte said. “I promised my mom that I’d try to get a degree before I went pro.”
“When you’re a pro, your career can be over so quickly and if you don’t have a plan B, then it’s really risky. So even if something happens, like in case of an injury, I still have a degree and I can get a job.”
At German universities, athletes can choose to pursue either professional athletics or a collegiate degree after finishing high school. But since German colleges do not field athletics teams, athletes must travel abroad to pursue athletics and their degrees simultaneously.
Otte, a two-time member of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Academic team, said he believes that academics are especially crucial for athletes.
“I think doing well in academics is very important because your career in sports can be over so fast,” Otte said. “It’s good to have other things to rely on if sports doesn’t work out.”
Otte was pleased to see the United States national soccer team, coached by former German soccer star and coach Jurgen Klinsmann, qualify for the 2014 World Cup last week by beating Mexico, 2-0.
But should the U.S. squad play against Germany in next summer’s World Cup, Otte will understandably be cheering for his native country.
“I’m definitely going to cheer for Germany,” Otte said. “I love both countries. I love America, I love being here and I’m so happy that I came here, but Germany is still my home country.”
As for now, Otte’s remains concentrated on the Wolfpack’s (3-1, 1-1 ACC) upcoming ACC clash at Virginia (2-3, 0-2 ACC). Both squads will be desperate for a victory to stay out the conference’s basement early in the season.
State has lost to the Cavaliers in its last two meetings, including a 2-1 loss in double overtime last fall in Raleigh. The Wolfpack hasn’t won in Charlottesville, Va. since 1980, but Otte says he’s optimistic about State’s chances.
“This year our team has way more quality than the last two years,” Otte said. “I’m really excited to play Virginia, especially because we lost our last game and we have to show toughness and bounce back.”
State kicks off against the Cavs on Friday afternoon at 7 p.m.
