Three Redwood High goalkeepers say the mental grind of guarding the net has changed how they handle pressure in the classroom.

Senior Evie Dickerson, a girls soccer goalkeeper who plans to play at New York University next fall, junior Cade Jaffee, a boys soccer goalkeeper, and senior Aurora DeVilbiss, a girls water polo goalkeeper committed to Harvard University, each described how the position builds resilience beyond the field. Their reflections appeared in a feature by Olivia Herbst in the Redwood Bark, the school's student newspaper, published Thursday, Oct. 1.

All three pointed to the same core lesson: moving past mistakes fast.

DeVilbiss, a senior captain alongside Brooke Hansen, told the Bark she calls her approach a "goldfish mindset, a 10-second memory, where I move on from something in the moment really quickly." She applies the same reset to bad test grades. Dickerson said she still thinks about mistakes from seventh grade but learned to push through them. Jaffee recalled a game last spring when he kicked the ball straight to an opponent, who scored off it. Redwood still won.

The position also forces communication. Dickerson noted that goalkeepers are the only players who can see all their teammates and the entire field at once. That vantage point, she said, pushed her to speak up more in class. DeVilbiss said commanding teammates did not come naturally, but the role forced her to develop that voice outside the pool too.

DeVilbiss's impact in goal shows in the numbers. She recorded 10 saves in a 6-5 win over Las Lomas at the Acalanes Invitational in September, according to the Marin Independent Journal. She also made a save with three seconds left in the third quarter of Redwood's 15-10 win over San Domenico on Sept. 28.

The Redwood girls water polo team finished 17-7 overall and 7-3 in MCAL play in 2025. This fall, the squad went 3-1 at the Acalanes Invitational and is coached by Brian Monty. The MCAL water polo playoffs begin Oct. 27 at Archie Williams, with the girls championship game set for Oct. 31 at 1:30 p.m.

Dickerson and Jaffee will wait longer for league play. The MCAL girls and boys soccer seasons open Nov. 2.