‘I don’t fear the ball’: Idaho goalie, German native Kira Witte key to Vandals’ stingy defense

MOSCOW, Idaho – The unlimited horizons of youth will always be envied by people who have passed through that golden age.

Kira Witte made the kind of monumental decision only young people playing with house money can make to venture beyond her club team and hometown of Buhren, Germany, to accept a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Idaho half a world away.

The Vandals freshman was installed as a starting goalie, but in only her second game, Idaho was lit up 7-2 by San Diego State. It might have seemed the kind of rebuke to challenge her ambition.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, what are we doing here?’ ” Witte said.

But for the next 10 games, Witte and her Vandals teammates shut out everyone they faced, a streak that propelled her to the top of the NCAA list of goalkeeper shutouts, with 11 overall, and one that ended when Idaho fell 1-0 to Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Sunday.

The loss was only the second of the year for the Vandals, who are 9-2-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Sky Conference.

The Vandals continue to lead the NCAA with 11 shutouts in 13 games. Georgetown, James Madison and South Carolina all follow with 10 shutouts in 14 games.

“(The SDSU game) did help us,” UI coach Jeremy Clevenger said. “It put our focus in the right areas.

“(Witte) “has been rock solid ever since.”

“I have always been a goalie. I don’t fear the ball and getting hit,” Witte said. “I really enjoy to jump and make the save.”

One of the biggest adjustments she has had to make is getting comfortable with a more physical style of play in the U.S. and shots coming at her from a longer distance.

“In Germany, it is more technical,” Witte said.

Clevenger said building a team from defense forward is in his DNA. For Witte, it means she has only had to face a handful of 1-on-1 challenges this season.

“Our defense is really doing a good job,” she said.

“A couple of games, Kira has saved us,” Clevenger said. “There have been games where she really hasn’t had to do too much. It’s a good partnership.”

Margo Schoesler, a junior midfielder from Mead High School, said Witte “ makes it look easy while doing the most amazing things.”

Schoesler said the team didn’t know what to expect from the new goalie from Germany.

“She has definitely lived up to and exceeded expectations,” Schoesler said.

Witte inspires teammates with her play.

“If she can go from one side of the cage to the other, I can go make the tackle I need to make,” Schoesler said.

Clevenger credits associate head coach Sean Mapson with bringing Witte to the Vandals. Mapson specializes in developing goalkeepers, and Clevenger sids Witte likes Mapson’s coaching style.

Witte was also confronted with a decision to play professionally or go to college and opted for Idaho, according to Clevenger.

“She likes the college experience,” he said.

“I wanted to go to college and play soccer at a high level,” Witte said. “We didn’t have that opportunity in Germany. I saw this as a great opportunity to come to the U.S. So far, I really like it here.

“I like that everything is so close together. At home, I have to drive 45 minutes to get to my club. Here, I walk 10 minutes.”

Her hometown is even smaller than Moscow, with its 25,700 people.

“I like a small town more than big cities,” Witte said.

She is looking forward to using her time at Idaho to develop a career in medical science.

“So far, it has been going pretty good,” she said. “I had a little difficulty with the language at the beginning, but now it’s better.”

As a member of Idaho’s soccer team, Witte has played in eight states and has been impressed with the variety of this country. But she is still working on experiencing everything her new home has to offer. She hasn’t made it to Moscow’s farmers market, she said.

“I have not yet met many people outside of sports,” Witte said.

Schoesler was a prep star from Spokane who saw Idaho as a program on the rise, close to home, and with tightly connected players.

“It has worked out,” she said.

“We are attracting definitely a higher level of player than we had in the past,” said Clevenger, who has been Idaho’s coach since 2018.

The Vandals’ attack starts with defense, according to Schoesler, who scored the winning goal against Montana on Sept. 30 with a penalty kick. The Vandals take great pride in their ability to frustrate opposing offenses. Their 10-game streak of shutting out opponents “put a chip on our shoulders,” Schoesler said.

“No one can score on us,” she said. “More than likely, we are going to get scored on. But what matters is how we respond to it.”

The Vandals are at home for their final three regular-season games against Portland State on Friday, Sacramento State on Sunday, and Eastern Washington on Oct. 23.

Then it is on to the Big Sky Conference Tournament at the University of Northern Colorado Nov. 2-6.

“We want that ring,” Schoesler said.

If the Vandals prevail, it will most likely be because they have suffocated other teams’ offense.

“This is something that just developed and morphed into a special season of defense,” Clevenger said.

It has propelled Idaho and its new goalie from Germany – who took a leap of faith to come to the U.S. – to the top of the NCAA.