In Focus: Aline Reis
November 02, 2016 | Women's Soccer
The road to Rio was an unconventional one for Aline Reis. A former All-American goalkeeper at Central Florida, Reis had stopped playing and moved into coaching as UCLA women's soccer's goalkeeper coach in 2013. But with the 2015 Women's World Cup sweeping America and the 2016 Olympic Games in her native country of Brazil looming, Reis gave her national team dream one more shot.
"I kept preaching to my players that you've got to go after your dreams and see where you can get to," Reis said. "But then I stopped and said 'wait a minute; I'm not doing it myself.' What player doesn't want to be in the Olympics?"
Reis resumed training and began playing professionally in Brazil during the Bruins' off-season and earned her shot with the Brazilian National Team at training camp before eventually being named to the Olympic team. Reis played in one game at the Olympics, starting against South Africa and earning a shutout in her first-ever national team appearance.
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