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Manual's Kaufmana shooter's nightmare
By Nathan Chambers
Special to The Courier-Journal
Of Bob and Debby Kaufman's three children, triplets who were born within minutes of each other nearly 18 years ago, only one still plays a sport.
But Ross Kaufman has carried the torch — or the soccer ball — quite well. In the years since Stephanie and Scott withdrew from athletics, their very slightly older brother and Manual High School senior classmate has pressed ahead.
A fourth-year starter for Manual and long recognized as one of the top goalies in the state, Ross Kaufman has become one of the best in the country. He has been selected to the Olympic Development Program's Region II team each of the past two years and was one of only two goalies chosen from the team's 13-state region to travel to Europe for a tournament last January.
He also recently made a commitment to Saint Louis University, where he'll join former St. Xavier star Chad Hagerty at one of the most storied programs in the sport with an NCAA Division I-record 37 straight winning seasons from 1959-1996 and 10 national championships early in that era.
The pending athletic scholarship is welcome news to his parents, who are on the verge of sending three kids to college at the same time.
"We're glad that (Saint Louis coach) Dan Donigan wanted to invest in a goalie," his father said, only half-jokingly.
Doing his part to cover a chunk of those future education expenses, the 5-foot-11 Kaufman also is one of the primary reasons the Crimsons (12-1) were voted No.1 in the preseason coaches' poll after making a run to the state semifinals last season. They are No.2 in the current poll and will play host to defending state champion and top-ranked Lexington Catholic tomorrow.
Through last week, Kaufman had allowed just two goals and had recorded six shutouts in the eight games he had played.
"Ross is extremely talented," Manual coach Bob Ramsey said. "His movement laterally is excellent. He also can get stuff low, and he can get stuff high. He doesn't have any weaknesses."
Four senior defenders — Nicholas Lioutas, Alex Neumann, Adam Pollock and Jared Shaddix — play in front of Kaufman. That quintet, which has been together for two years, is the strength of the team.
"I think the good thing about our relationship is that we have confidence in each other," Kaufman said. "It's difficult for them to get beat in the first place, but if they do get beat they have confidence in me to make the play."
Kaufman, who was named second-team All-State as a sophomore but oddly was overlooked last year despite Manual's big season, wants to play soccer professionally. Three Saint Louis underclassmen turned pro within a six-month span last year.
"(Donigan) told me playing professionally is a given there," Kaufman said. "I've dedicated my life to playing soccer, and I think going to Saint Louis gives me a pretty good opportunity to get to the next level."
Source: Courier Journal
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