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Goal-den girl It will probably be today, in a windy drizzle, against the best defense she’s seen all season. There will be at least three girls surgically attached to her hip and another grabbing her by the shin guard. She’ll find the ball at her feet anyway, she’ll take a deep breath and smell the back of the net, and she’ll send her sturdy right leg toward the ball from as far as 50 yards away. It will escape the goalkeeper, the opposing coach will throw his hands in the air, and the four defenders assigned to her will seethe, probably something about the unfairness of playing against her. And, like the other 169 times, Michaella Fulmer will look the same as if her shot went 10 feet over the goalpost. “If she scores a lot in a game,” says Denny Fulmer, Michaella’s father, “she comes off the field, and it’s almost like she’s never played. It’s strange.” But even Michaella, an O’Hara junior, had to smile last week in a district semifinal victory over Center, when she scored her fourth out of five goals and the announcement came over the loudspeaker: “With her 168th goal, Michaella Fulmer has broken the Missouri state record for goals in a career.” Fulmer scored 55 goals her freshman year, 60 last year and has added 54 this year as the Celtics enter their game tonight against Lee’s Summit West in a Class 1 sectional final. The Titans, the defending state champs, built the Great Wall of Lee’s Summit earlier this year and shut out Fulmer in a 4-0 win. “It makes me want to score more on them,” Fulmer says. Lee’s Summit West knows all too well that could make for a long night. “She gets the ball at her feet,” Lee’s Summit West coach Todd Krey says, “and wherever she is, she’s looking to score somehow. That’s tough to find in a lot of girls, that sheer desire to finish every time she gets the ball at her foot.” Fulmer has no choice but to score. If she doesn’t, she’ll hear about it from her older sister, Makenna. “If I don’t,” Fulmer says, “I feel like I have disappointed her.” Makenna, who also played soccer at O’Hara and graduated last year, set the tone for this record-breaking year by putting Michaella’s name and the number 115 on the family’s refrigerator. The countdown began. Makenna wasn’t able to get to as many games as she’d like because she works until 6 at night. Michaella’s cell phone rang often at 6:01. “How many?” Makenna would ask. “Just calm down,” Michaella would have to tell her. Michaella doesn’t like all the attention she gets for putting up these gaudy numbers. Ask her about the record, and she crinkles her freckled nose and talks about the team. Seems Barry Bonds isn’t the only record-chaser who wouldn’t mind disappearing. “I think I wouldn’t like her if she was me, me, me,” says Kelsey, Michaella’s sister and a sophomore defender for O’Hara. “Michaella doesn’t talk about any of it, so that’s what me and Makenna do.” Kelsey supports her older sister because Michaella has been there for her as well. Earlier this season against Pembroke Hill, Kelsey was slip-tackled from behind and had to leave the game. Michaella was fuming because she thought the play was dirty. “I remember I left the field, and right then, she scored a goal,” Kelsey says. “She was so mad.” Michaella has the ability to turn it on whenever she wants, and for O’Hara to win against the good teams, that usually needs to happen. “Pretty much she’s our whole offense,” Kelsey says. “Everybody just tries to get her the ball.” Michaella has the right combination of smarts and skill. One of her tricks is to check out the height of the opposing goalkeeper before the game. If the keeper is small, Michaella will shoot from farther away and use more loft. If she’s taller, Michaella will shoot more on the ground. “I look for the back of the net mostly,” Michaella says. “It’s more instinctive. I just play.” Michaella’s entire family has invested in her soccer talent. About four years ago, she started playing for the St. Louis Soccer Club instead of the local Kansas City clubs. The club is currently ranked No. 15 in the country and plays against the top teams nationally. Michaella, her father and, sometimes, her mother drive all over the Midwest to different tournaments during the summer and fall. “Long road trips,” Michaella says, sounding tired just thinking of them. Denny relishes the time they’ve spent together, even if they disagree on music selection. Denny appears to have won a more important battle: Michaella has the option of attending many Division I schools, but she intends to stay within a comfortable driving distance for her family. Michaella has the rest of this season and her senior year to create some distance for herself in state scoring annals. She is on pace to finish in the top 10 in the country for career goals and could break into the top five with another big year. But don’t talk to Michaella about all of that stuff, please. “My first goal is to win state,” Michaella says. “I’m not concentrating on anything else.”
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J. Brady McCollough - jbrady@coveringsports.com (email) - 816-868-2621 (cell) |
