ed to be on her game from
the very beginning.
It was a type of game that
Tim Howard had during the
World Cup for the United
States. He was at his best
against Belgium, keeping
the US in the game. It was
the type of game that had
put him on the map.
Miller was at her best
when she was allied upon,
and that game propelled
her to the type if season
she has had for the Flames
as they continue to prog-
ress in the playoffs.
“During the game I never
really feel anything physi-
cally. Between adrenaline
and just being super fo-
cused on the game, I don’t
have time to think about
any pain I’m feeling. After
the game, however, I defi-
nitely started to feel it. I
was pretty sore, but I’ve
learned to understand the
difference between hurt-
ing and injured,” stated
Miller.’ “During the game I
actually caught my sweep-
er’s knee in the face after
a save, which happens,
goalies take hits. I just re-
member that little bit of
pain hurts for a second
and then goes away, so it’s
not worth taking my atten-
tion away from the game.
As far as being in the right
zone, it’s all about focus to
me. When I’m on the field
all that matters to me is my
team’s success. I force my-
self to block out anything
else that is going on in my
life because all I can help
right then is my team to
win.”
Miller comes from a soc-
cer family. Her older sister
was a standout for Sacred
Heart Academy, and at one
point little sister was at
Sacred Heart as well. But,
there was something about
Sacred Heart that Miller
couldn’t put her finger on.
She would have loved to
have the opportunity to be
on the same team as her
sister, but she wanted to
carve out her own path.
Both being keepers, this
was a chance for Miller to
make a name for herself
and not have to live up
to the expectations that
might have been placed on
her if she had to follow in
her sisters footsteps.
“I actually went to Sa-
cred Heart my freshman
year and was a captain on
the JV team, however, I
didn’t go there looking to
compete with my sister.
We have trained with each
other since we were little
and have always pushed
each other to be better. I
was just looking forward
to training with her again.
I’m one of her biggest fans
and was so proud of the
keeper she became and
for ending up with divi-
sion one offers,” stated
Miller. “She is now on the
team at Gannon University
and I’m so happy for her.
Back to Sacred, though,
I’m still not entirely sure
why I decided to go, but
I think part of it was not
wanting to leave my sis-
ter. I have three siblings,
so before two of them went
to college it wasn’t often I
wasn’t around at least one
of them. Part of me just
wasn’t ready to be without
them yet I guess. Regard-
less, it wasn’t long that I
realized Sacred Heart was
not right for me. I loved
the new friends and some
of my teachers were great,
but I never felt myself. For
me the more freedom the
better. Everything I heard
about East was complete-
ly different from Sacred
Heart. Free periods, open
walls, tons of electives to
choose from, as soon as I
was back at tryouts in Au-
gust I knew that was where
I belonged. I love it at East
NOVEMBER 2, 2018 | SportsUnion
and I know I made the
right decision.”
While at Williamsville
East, Miller had to sit be-
hind a more established
keeper. The Flames are
known for their soccer
teams. They have a lot of
players who play compet-
itive travel for GPS and
WNY Flash.
Trying to crack that line-
up is already a tough prop-
osition.
“Having not gone to Wil-
liamsville East as a fresh-
man and Sarah being the
starter for years, I never
expected to play over her.
Both Coach Durr and Sarah
were always so supportive
of my development on the
team and getting to play
a handful of halves as a
sophomore my first year on
Varsity was great,” stated
Miller. “It was a complete-
ly different experience
than JV and I was so excit-
ed, but it was Sarah’s se-
nior year, it was her time. I
knew my time would come
and coach even decided to
make me the third captain
a few days ago, which is
amazing.”
Miller has taken the
reigns and run with it. She
has been one of the main
reasons why the Flames
have made a run through
the playoffs. At times scor-
ing has been an issue for
the Flames so Miller has
had to steal a few games
throughout the year.
But, that’s what good
13
players do. They make the
plays when they are called
upon. They step up and
help the team get those
wins.
“I’m happy to be a part
of a team that has done so
well and love playing for
Coach Durr. He teaches
us that hard work in prac-
tice pays off in games. He
also emphasizes that there
are many different aspects
to playing at our best and
is always reminding us to
roll out, stretch, hydrate,
eat well, just stay healthy.
On top of this, he used to
be a goalie as well, which
is nice because he has a
good understanding of the
position. When it comes to
high expectations, I’m go-
ing to do whatever I can to
help lead the team in con-
tinuing to be successful,”
stated Miller. “This past
year I have really had to
focus on my distribution,
and although it has gotten
so much better, I’m still
going to continue to work
on it. My strengths I would
say are that I’m really vocal
with the team, extreme-
ly competitive, and never
afraid to go for a ball even
if I know I’m going to get
hit. The other thing is that
whenever a goal is scored
on me, I never think “wow
what a shot” it’s always “if
I just did this I would’ve
had it”. Some saves may
be hard to make, but with
practice I don’t think any
are impossible.”