Video Pick: Keeper scores crucial Bundesliga goal
- by Mike Woitalla @MikeWoitalla, Feb 22, 2015
The 27-year-old Swiss keeper, who pounced during a goalmouth scramble, follows Schalke’s Jens Lehmann (1997) and Werder Bremen’s Frank Rost (2002) into the Bundesliga trivia annals. Hitz's goal preserved Augsburg's fifth place spot ahead of Leverkusen.
So, I was coaching a U-12 travel team and we always switched keepers at the half so they'd each get some field time. One of the keepers was also a striker, blazing fast and let's call him adventurous. 2nd half, close game, he's in goal, catches a shot and decides to go for a trip. After faking a flubbed punt he takes off down the field with ball at his feet. The other team doesn't know whether this is somehow illegal and basically freezes. Soon the half line is a memory, our team's parents are yelling "STOP STOP"; seeing the opposition freeze and the glee on the keeper's face, between laughs I'm yelling "GO, GO". At about the 30 the other team wakes up, the whole D descends on him and he slots through a perfect ball and we score! Of course that now became our surprise play to be tried in every remaining game, which in our 8 team league never surprised anyone again. Still cracks me up.