SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Gabrielle Gauruder
10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
For redshirt senior goalkeeper Gabrielle Gauruder, her soccer saga began at four years old.
"There came to a point where I had to choose [which sport to play] because soccer eventually takes over your life," she laughs. "It was not even a question. It was always going to be soccer because I loved it, and I loved the girls that were on my team when I was little."
Gauruder's older brother, Garrett, had played soccer, which Gauruder cited as a major reason why she developed a love for the game.
"I wanted to be just like him," Gauruder admitted. "I kept playing, following in his footsteps basically."
Coming into the week, Gauruder leads the Big Ten conference in league competition for save percentage (0.875). In overall competition, she is in the top five in four categories.
Entrusted with the task of guarding the Spartan net, she can be found fiercely stopping point-blank shots and calling out commands while organizing her defense. She has set her career high in saves three times so far this season, with her highest, nine, against Rutgers. Many wouldn't guess that this is her first year with a solid starting position.
Alternating with now alumna Courtney Clem in the 2014 season, Gauruder made two appearances against IPFW and Northwestern. However, in the season prior to that, Gauruder finished with the second-best save percentage in the Big Ten (.844) as well as the second-best record in saves per game (5.40). She started seven of the ten games she played in the 2013 season.
Currently making her place in the Spartan record books, the senior is 10th in MSU history with 135 saves while holding the third-best record for overall goals against average (0.96), off the second place record by 0.01. She is also close to several single-season records this season.
Silencing any who doubted her ability this season, she presents a vibrant personality and is a recognizable team leader. Positive in tough losses and ecstatic after high wins, Gauruder is humble, refraining from commenting on herself.
"It's something that you work hard for pretty much every single day of your life, including in the summer time when you're not with your team," she said. "You're just constantly thinking of them. When you get your chance to own your moments, you need to make the best of it."
The Spartan goalkeeper has owned several memorable moments this year, including five shutout wins, including the 3-0 rout of Michigan at DeMartin and dealing No. 11 Minnesota its first loss at home in a 1-0 shutout. The senior gained shutouts over Niagara, New Mexico and Nebraska as well.
The South Lyon native who graduated from Novi high school is in her first semester of graduate school in the Special Education program. Gauruder's heart belongs to theatre, however, when not consumed with soccer.
"Honestly, every time I think I [know what I] want [my career] to be, it changes," she says, laughing. "I guess it's just God's plan. I have an itch to move to New York. I don't know how, or why, or for what, but I just have a feeling that I need to get up and go. I'm really interested in autism and helping children with behavioral therapy and exploring autism more. Also, I'll never stop making videos and acting. If acting fell in my lap, there would be no chance that I would turn it down."
Gauruder is an exceptional break dancer and enjoys putting together acting sequences. She orchestrated the team's remake of the song "Hard Knock Life" which was picked up by the YouTube channel, SoccerGrlProbsVids, gaining over 42,479 views.
Gauruder has many interesting life experiences. One of them included being the only girl allowed to play soccer in Zambia on a mission trip.
Taking a break from being in net, she was allowed to play forward against local teams, as each town would have a team.
"Kids would come running out of the fields with dust all over them," she said with eyes gleaming while recounting the trip. "If you scored a goal, the kids would flock to you and celebrate with you."
Something that affected Gauruder's soccer career was her mother, Cheryl's, diagnosis of cancer. The goalkeeper missed two weeks of practice to be by her mother's side in the hospital last season. Rather than punishment for her absence, Gauruder said her Spartan family surrounded her with the support she needed during her difficult time.
"I missed pretty much a whole week of soccer to be in the hospital with her," Gauruder said somberly. "Everyone was understanding and loving. It shows the bond of the sisterhood holding you up in a time like that. Also, at the same time it put things in perspective for me."
Michigan State head coach Tom Saxton has spoken highly of Gauruder's skills.
"She keeps her backline organized and keeps the team focused," Saxton said. "She does a great job and has had a great season for us."
