Jeenah Moon for The New York Times
LONDON — Erica Dambach recognized that the words she was using to describe her former player Alyssa Naeher — “very quiet and reserved,” “unassuming,” “very, very humble” — were not ones most people immediately associate with an indomitable athlete.
Dambach, who coached Naeher for three seasons at Penn State, said she once had those very same concerns about Naeher’s serene demeanor. But then she watched Naeher play.
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“When she steps over the line, she takes on the personality of one of the top goalkeepers in the world,” Dambach said.