Anissa Stanton is the rarest of talents, a starting goalkeeper for a ranked junior college soccer team one moment and a student physical trainer the next.
When Stanton isn’t in goal for the Hartnell College women’s soccer team, she’s on the sideline at the school’s football games, ready to aid an injured player on a moment’s notice. The 2012 San Benito High graduate has flourished for the Panthers, who are the seventh-ranked team in Northern California.
“I enjoy doing both,” said Stanton, who plans on being a physical trainer for a professional sports team. “I can’t tell you how overwhelming and excited I am to be on the soccer field and to be able to kick the ball and make plays. I can kick the ball and run with my teammates, and it’s a great feeling.”
Stanton has plenty of reasons to be happy. A year ago, she was on crutches, having just undergone surgery for a torn left ACL injury. Now she’s back and playing at such a high level it’s as if nothing ever happened.
Hartnell has posted a 7-3-3 overall record, 3-2-1 in the Coast Conference. In the process, the Panthers have recorded six shutouts. The 5-foot-5 Stanton has used her cat-like reflexes and instincts to bolster one of the stingiest defenses in Northern California. Even though Stanton was confident she would return to her pre-surgery form, nothing was guaranteed.
“When I went into surgery (on Sept. 19, 2013), I stayed optimistic,” she said. “But it’s still a scary thing to go through a major surgery. I was kind of in shock when the injury happened because I was just doing a random exercise and all of a sudden I heard the pop and I was down.”
But hardly out. Stanton, 20, said she drew some positives out of a tough situation.
“Being out for an entire year taught me patience,” she said. “You can accomplish everything in time, and sometimes it just takes longer than you thought it would.”
Stanton never played goalkeeper until her junior season at San Benito. She started playing soccer at age 4, and was a forward or defender for many years until the position change, a move that ultimately extended her athletic career.
“That year the team needed a goalie and nobody wanted to try out, so I figured I would try goalie because I figured I wasn’t going to get playing time in the field,” she said.
Given the fact that her younger brother, David, a former football and volleyball standout at San Benito, played goalkeeper as a youth and their dad, also named David, played in between the pipes as well, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Anissa has flourished in goal.
“Playing the position was a lot more difficult than I expected,” she said. “But I think I caught on rather quickly, and would like to think I had a natural instinct for playing the position.”
Born just 18 months apart, Stanton and her brother have been best friends for as long as they remember. They grew up playing a variety of sports together, and even when they were separated by gender, their teams often interacted and traveled to tournaments together.
When they were at home, David would play quarterback and Anissa wide receiver. In soccer, David played goalkeeper and Anissa took shots from all over the field.
“We did everything together,” she said. “I can’t even recall a huge argument we’ve ever had. If we ever had a little argument, we’d be best friends again the next moment. We’ve always been best friends—our parents raised us to be best friends.”
Indeed, the Stantons are a tight-knit family, probably one of the closest families you’ll ever meet.
“We like to spend a lot of time together,” Stanton said. “Sometimes I’ll go horseback riding with my dad, and of course David is the best brother a sister could have. No one compares to him, and I think we’re lucky to be part of a family that is close.”
Stanton hasn’t received much interest from four-year schools, but she’s at peace if her competitive soccer career ends this season.
“I’d love to keep on playing, but I won’t be crushed if it doesn’t happen,” she said. “Of course I’d love to keep on going on with my dream, and living it out for as long as I can. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.”
