MSUB SPORTS – Guarding the net is arguably the most pressure-filled and intense of the 11 positions comprising a soccer team. The goalkeeper is the last line of defense, and often times her performance can dictate the outcome of a game. Requirements include physicality, confidence, vocal, and organizational skills as in many ways she is the commander of the entire field.
 
Above all else, however, being a goalkeeper requires the utmost trust from the teammates and coaches around her. For the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team, that trustworthy leader has emerged in the form of senior goalkeeper Krystal Daniels.
 
Most recently, Daniels was awarded Great Northwest Athletic Conference defensive Player of the Week, after helping the Yellowjackets shut down Seattle Pacific 0-0 and defeat Central Washington 2-1, both on the road. The award is just one example of the payoff for her dedication to the sport, the position, and most of all her team.
 
MSUB's back line has defended spectacularly this season, limiting opponents' attempts towards goal and establishing itself as a force on aerial balls. The Yellowjackets' midfield has consistently remained well organized and shown the ability to push forward and score, and the offense has gotten the job done as MSUB has outscored its opponents 11-7 this season.
 
While each separate position is unique, perhaps none quite have the perspective of the goalkeeper. "There is definitely a lot of responsibility, and you are the base of your team," Daniels said regarding being a keeper. "They are all dependent on you, and you have to know the game pretty well to be successful. You have to make sure everyone trusts you and you can either be a silent or a loud leader."
 
Considering her call for the ball or for her team to adjust its positioning is audible throughout the entirety of whichever soccer facility she happens to be playing in, Daniels has certainly embraced her role as a vocal leader. "Krystal is a great leader for the younger players and always tries to help them either on or off the field," said MSUB head coach Wojtek Krakowiak. "She works extremely hard and sets a great example for her teammates."
 
Part of Daniels' success stems from her background as a diverse soccer player growing up, as she was not confined to a single position until well into college. "I have played goalie for as long as I can remember, but I was both a field player and a goalkeeper through high school," Daniels commented. "Once I got to college, I played on the field and in goal my first year, but my second year I only played keeper."
 
Daniels began her career at Peninsula College, a junior college located in Port Angeles, Wash. Beginning her college search, Daniels was unsure of the level that would best fit her abilities as a soccer player. One thing she was sure of was the desire to pursue the game at the next level.
 
"I always knew that I wanted to play college soccer, but I had some adversity that I had to deal with along the way," Daniels said regarding a club soccer coach that discouraged her from continuing to play. "He told me I wasn't good enough to play at a higher level, and that brought my confidence down a bit. I figured a JuCo would be a good place to start out, and after talking to the coach I decided that Peninsula was the best school for me."
 
As it turned out, Daniels ended up fostering a close connection with Peninsula head coach Kanyon Anderson, who ended up reshaping her perspective on the game of soccer. "He was an amazing coach and was very philosophical," Daniels said regarding Anderson. "He didn't just grow me as a player, he grew me as a person as well. He helped me improve my game and my confidence, and our second year being a program we took second place in the NWAACC."
 
Daniels had joined the Peninsula program in its first year of existence, and the immediate success she experienced as part of the team opened her eyes to the potential that she could reach as a collegiate player. "After my sophomore year I started looking for schools, but I didn't want to rush the decision," Daniels said regarding the inevitable move from the two-year JC level to a different school. "I came to MSUB on a visit, and in the time I was here the girls on the soccer team were really nice. I stayed with Jenny (Johnson) and Chelsea (Shuman) and they really solidified my decision to come here."
 
Perhaps another aspect factoring into Daniels' decision was the fact that MSUB was fresh off of a GNAC Championships appearance, as the Yellowjackets advanced to the title game of the conference tournament during the 2012 season. Fast-forward a year later and Daniels had become the starting goalkeeper for the Yellowjackets, a team destined to fight their way back to the conference championships after a near-miss in 2013.
 
The numbers Daniels has posted this year have been outstanding to say the least. Her goals-against average of 0.67 and four shutouts both rank third in the conference. She has made 23 saves in 10 games this season, but beyond the figures that appear on the stat sheets her presence within the box has been one of the most valuable factors for the Yellowjackets.
 
"Krystal brings a lot of energy, competitiveness, hard work and determination to the team," Krakowiak said. "She always has a great attitude in training and makes everyone around her happy. She plays a huge part on the team's chemistry because of her positive attitude, amazing personality, and kindness towards her teammates."
 
During a homestand against Northwest Nazarene and Western Washington in early October, the Yellowjackets surrendered just three total shots over a two-game stretch. MSUB became only the fifth team in GNAC history to prevent an opponent from taking a single shot in a game, completing the feat in a 1-0 victory over NNU. Daniels played a key role in the win over the Crusaders by commanding the aerial game in the box and organizing her team, but she is the first to pass the credit along to her stalwart back line.
 
"I love my defense," Daniels said with a laugh. "We have the perfect balance between dedication, height, and work ethic, and I feel like my defense has been incredible and allowed me to be successful. When they are able to bring it down to zero shots on goal, it doesn't even give the other team a chance to score."
 
Joining Daniels in having played every minute of the season so far for MSUB, seniors Jennifer Johnson and Jessie Mancilla, and sophomores Haley McFarlane and Kari Kastelic have tremendously helped to reduce the stress landing on Daniels' shoulders.
 
"To be a successful keeper it's amazing to have a good back four, but for me I see them as my front four," Daniels commented regarding her unique perspective as the lone player behind the defense. "Haley is awesome and reads the game so well. She is dominant in the air."
 
In her first year in the program, Kastelic has not only contributed defensively but has pushed forward to score a pair of goals for the 'Jackets. "Kari's height and strength allow her to be dominant as well," Daniels said.
 
Anchoring the two outside back positions, fellow seniors Johnson and Mancilla have emulated the consistency displayed by the inside defenders. "Jenny and Jessie on the outside are a bond of their own," Daniels said. "They work amazingly with the center backs, and they know when to go forward and when to drop back. They listen well, are good at shifting back-and-forth, and I have seen them grow so much. They are reaching their peak as seniors and both are incredible at knowing what to do and when to do it."
 
While Daniels credits much of this year's success to MSUB's defense, she also noted another figure within the program who has helped her develop on a personal level both mentally and physically.
 
"Stephen Cavallo so far has been a great part of this team and this family," Daniels said regarding the first-year assistant coach who was formerly a goalkeeper as a player. "He's just made sure that everyone stays positive and he has changed a lot of the attitudes and definitely my own a lot. He has made sure I'm a positive leader and he's pushed me as a player. Stephen is always there to stand by his word and make sure I understand what's going on. He keeps me honest, he's been a good role model for me this year, and a great addition to the team."
 
Pursuing a degree in business management, Daniels explained that it wasn't until she arrived at MSUB that she fully began to understand the concept of academic excellence and athletic success in the same sentence. "I never understood the idea of being a student-athlete until I came here," Daniels said. "I was never the best with school, but Wojtek has really pushed me to be a better student than I have ever been before. I used to only focus on soccer with school on the back burner. Here, school is the main priority right next to soccer."
 
"Krystal works very hard in the classroom," Krakowiak said. "She spends a lot of time in the library, at study halls, and always brings her books with her on road trips. She understands that being a great student is very important in our program."
 
Daniels' motivation to succeed as a student-athlete also stems from her own childhood experience, growing up in Kent, Wash., with her older brother Luke and his friends. "I grew up in a neighborhood full of boys and there were no kids my age so I was forced to hang out with older kids all the time," Daniels remembered with a smile. "I have played sports since I was really little, and I started out playing whatever games the boys were that day in the middle of the street."
 
Taking a stab at everything from wrestling, gymnastics, dance and figure skating, as well as organized sports like soccer, basketball, and track, Daniels enjoyed the diversity in activities.
 
Standing behind Daniels from Day 1 has been her mother Sonia Daniels. "I grew up with a single mom and she was a strong reason why I succeeded so much," Daniels said. "She never missed any kind of game or competition I've ever done, and she has always been there for me pushing me to do better. I only grew up with one parent, but she gave me the support of four."
 
Now as Daniels witnesses her dedication to the game pay off in the team's success on the field, she recognized how soccer has helped shape who she has become and influenced her as a person. "Soccer has always helped me push past the challenges," Daniels said. "Only having a mom growing up shaped my drive and always taught me and my brother to push through things and to be strong, independent people. I think that growing up the way I did shaped my independence even on the field."
 
Serving as her backbone, her rock, her last line of defense, her own keeper in a way, it has been her mother Sonia who has truly had the most important impact of all on Daniels becoming the player she is now. "My mom taught me to just be strong for the people around me and to care about others," Daniels said. "That has allowed me to be a better player and to take a 'mom' role of my own."