photo by: Kim North

St. Clairsville’s Talan Rice signs his National Letter of Intent to attend West Liberty University to continue his soccer and academic careers. Pictured, front row from left, are his mother, Allison; Rice; younger brother, Declan; and father, Dustin. Back row, from left, are St. Clairsville boys’ soccer head coach Jeff Roberts; St. Clairsville boys’ assistant coach Nate Verardi; and Johann Marin, Rice’s goaltender coach.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Talan Rice’s journey to becoming a college soccer goaltender was fast and quite the learning experience.

The St. Clairsville senior signed his National Letter of Intent Friday morning to attend West Liberty University and join the Hilltoppers men’s soccer team. He only started playing the sport four years ago.

“It’s been a long journey. It’s a lot different than some people because I didn’t start playing soccer until my freshman season of high school,” he explained. “I wasn’t going to play any sports in high school. I had a lot to learn really quickly, and my first game I played against Morgantown. I had a big save and that kind of showed me that I could play goalkeeper. I started to really work hard on my skills and it’s nice to see all that hard work pay off because here I am going to college to play soccer.

“It took a long time to get through the process and decide what way I wanted to go,” Rice said. “I visited a lot of schools and met a lot of coaches, but I went up and trained with the West Liberty’ team and the environment up there was so much fun. The coaches and players were great. It kind of reminded me of what I had at St. Clairsville.

“By staying local, I still have that option to come home and see my family, and maybe some St. Clairsville games.”

How did Rice become involved in soccer?

“”The old goalkeeper coach at St. Clairsville texted my dad before my freshman year and told him they needed a goalkeeper,” he said of his start. “I came to the first practice not wanting to be a goalkeeper. I wanted to be a field player, but then I started training and got the feeling of stopping shots and being the player that could determine the outcome of a game. That really impacted me and I fell in love with the game.”

Rice as a 4-year letterman and 2-year captain of the Red Devils. He earned all-Eastern District and all-OVAC Class 4A honors three times, serving as the Class 4A Player of the Year as a senior when he also received all-Ohio honors.

St. Clairsville head coach Jeff Roberts thinks West Liberty is a perfect fit for Rice.

“I think it’s a great fit for him. Being local, A lot of times kids go away to college and play sports. I think they get torn and want to come back, but having friends up there and being involved in activities will definitely help him make the adjustment and be successful.

“His freshman year I don’t think he knew how to kick a soccer ball. We definitely didn’t trust him to play the way we did his last couple of years,” Roberts continued. “He has put in a ton of work, 24/7, on his touch and passing. He made a commitment to the weight room and his body grew, as did his knowledge for the game.

“He worked his mind and body and became a really good soccer player.”

What kept Rice striving to be the best he could be?

“Constantly having that self-drive. People around you can tell you all the stuff you want to hear, but it’s all about preparing yourself and self-driving yourself. I’ve spent countless numbers of hours with my goalkeeping coach, Johann Marin, and other coaches that I’ve worked with, especially Jeff (Roberts) because he is always pushing me, as is my dad,” Rice noted. “Every night after a game we’ll sit down and go over the film to see what I could’ve done differently in different situations. We’re always looking at how I can get better with each game.”

What does he think about prior to facing a penalty-kick?

“You’ve got to fly. I always do a little stutter-step to one side and then dive to the other,” he said. “I usually try to read the eyes of the shooter and find the direction I want to go and explode to that side. If I save it, good. If I don’t, there’s nothing I can do but move on from it.”

It didn’t take him long to answer when asked if there was one save he will always remember.

“Against West Muskingum this year at lower.com Stadium in Columbus,” he replied quickly. “There was a throw-in and someone swung and missed. The ball went from the near end of the net to the far and a player tried to bend it in the top corner. I stretched to my fullest and tipped it over the top left corner of the net for a corner kick.”

Rice is the son of Allison and Dustin Rice. They reside in St. Clairsville.