ARIMO — A soccer ball flew into the air and sure-handed seventh-grader Josey Gunter naturally clutched it during practice.

It would've been an impressive play – if she had been goalkeeping. A ball went in her direction during a ball-control drill and her intuition was to corral it. Since then, she played the position that it’s OK to do that, protecting the net after her coach saw her make that catch.

“It wasn’t that I volunteered,” Gunter said. “I just happened to catch it, and then he said, ‘You’re now our goalkeeper,’ and that’s how it all started.’”

Gunter will continue goalkeeping for Walla Walla Community College after being a four-year starter at Marsh Valley High School. She signed her National Letter of Intent on Monday at Marsh Valley Middle School and will receive athletic scholarship money from Walla Walla.

“It was just almost a relief off of my shoulders knowing that all the hard work that I put in for so many years finally paid off and that I have so much more ahead of me,” Gunter said. “So it was a big relief, but kind of re-lit a fire under me. It motivated me even more to be better for my future career.”

Gunter leaves the Eagles after winning four 3A District 5 championships. With the help of a stout defense, she allowed .6 goals per match and had 15 shutouts. Marsh Valley coach Rachelle Gilbert said the goalie’s attributes extended beyond stopping shots

“She was pivotal in our successes,” Gilbert said. “It’s always part of a reliable program to have a goalie who is reliable… and she loves to motivate people to be better and do their best, and she put it in a positive way, too. She doesn’t criticize, but she encourages people even through mistakes.”

Walla Walla will be Gunter’s next destination because she couldn’t find a single flaw during her campus visit and she welcomed the coaching style by Jordan Hacker, who will enter his fifth season as head soccer coach. He has guided Walla Walla to the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament the last three seasons and clinched the 2017 NWAC East Region championship.

“He brought a lot of intensity without bringing negativity,” said Gunter, who verbally committed to the college in late February. “It’s like a family up there. It’s not just about soccer and it’s not just about winning, it’s about improving each other and getting the most that you can out of the sport.”

Gunter’s opportunity to play at the college level is rare for a Marsh Valley girls soccer player, according to Gilbert, who has coached great teams in addition to great players who didn’t pursue college soccer.

“She loves the game and the physicality of it and the intelligence behind it,” Gilbert said. “I think that it’s her place.”

Gunter learned as a seventh grader that the goalie box is a better place than any other.

“I felt more comfortable there than any other position,” Gunter said. “I felt more confident in myself.”