Sports can have a rough beginning for some. It’s not always the training that is the hardest part in an athlete’s career, and redshirt freshman goalie Laura Boyer knows that.

It wasn’t just the road to soccer that shaped the athlete she is today, but the road to Iowa State as well.

In her hometown of Overland Park, Kan., Boyer got an early start in soccer at the age of five when her father signed her up for a children’s team.

With only two other girls on the team, Boyer learned how to fend for herself early in life.

“I remember getting knocked down by one of the guys and I started crying,” Boyer said. “My dad came over to me and said, ‘Laura, if they get in your way, knock them down.'”

That attitude has stuck with Boyer, who continues to use life lessons while she is on the field and in the net for the Cyclones.

“Ever since then, since I became a goalie, that mentality stuck,” Boyer said.

Originally a midfielder, Boyer did not play goalie until her early elementary years.

Once placed between the posts, Boyer knew that she had found her calling.

Boyer was in second grade when she started playing half the game as goalie and the other half as midfielder.

“Nobody else wanted to play goalie, and I loved it,” Boyer said.

As college approached, Boyer had many options, and was not sure where she wanted to end up. In fact, becoming a Cyclone almost did not happen.

Family tragedy struck the week that Boyer planned on visiting Ames, as she and the rest of her family dealt with the loss of her grandmother.

Although she was not sure if she wanted to pursue her scheduled visit to Iowa State, her dad counseled her through the crisis, telling her that it would be good to get away.

“We came up here, and I stayed with Amy Flores and Kristina Baumann,” Boyer said.

“They were the most down-to-earth people. They made me feel really comfortable.”

Ames’ hometown feel also helped Boyer decide to come to Iowa State.

Knowing that her mom and dad would want to come see her play — combined with loving the people from the Midwest — Boyer decided to settle at Iowa State.

“[Ames] just reminds me of home,” Boyer said.

“The people here are like the people at home.”

Heeding her father’s advice was nothing new for Boyer, who often turns to him for means of support.

“My dad has always been there with advice — for my entire life,” Boyer said. “He keeps me level-headed.”

Although her level of seriousness is intense on the field, off the field, Boyer demonstrates an attitude that earns the respect of her coaches and teammates.

“Laura is funny,” freshman teammate Stephanie Kaphingst said.

“But when it comes to game time, she gets so pumped up, and helps get the whole team pumped up.”

Head coach Rebecca Hornbacher said that Boyer is a role model for her entire team.

“[Laura] is a great person on and off the field,” Hornbacher said.

“She works her heart out in practice, but she’s also a 4-point student in the classroom.”

Boyer said as keeper, she needs to be a team leader.

“The keeper is like a quarterback,” Boyer said. “You see the entire field, so you need to keep everyone organized.”