ADDISON CARTER’S GOAL Put the ball in the net

BELEN — In sports, some athletes have a knack for rebounding, sticking a dismount or sinking a putt.

Belen Eagle Addison Carter has a knack for putting the ball in the back of the net.

“She’s a natural-born scorer,” is how Ernest Gonzales, Belen girls’ soccer coach, describes Carter. “She has a will to want to score. She just has it in her heart.”

Tuesday, Carter scored seven goals against Del Norte, raising her season total after six games to a stunning 27 goals. Carter is on pace to blow past the 32 goal-mark she had last season as an eighth grader, which was the second most in 4A.

“I love scoring,” Carter said. “I love helping out my team.”

As a youngster, Carter would get up early and watch soccer on television with her father, Carey.

“I remember asking him, ‘Can I try soccer to see how it is?’ I’ve loved it ever since.”

That love took her to Albuquerque-based New Mexico Rapids Soccer Club, which travels the country. Initially, Carter played “anywhere,” including defense and goalkeeper, but soon gravitated to striker.

That’s where her “knack” began to shine. It seems that Carter is always in motion, moving up and down the centerline, anticipating when and where a pass will go.

“It’s not just that she has speed,” says Gonzales. “She reads the ball going into space and gets on it — she’s not afraid to shoot. She’s not afraid to take anybody one on one.”

Perhaps that confidence comes from a competitive family. Her father and older sister, Brooklyn, played soccer. Her mother, Geniva, was a multi-sport athlete, while sister, Avery, a senior this year, is a current standout on the BHS soccer team.

Just a freshman, Carter isn’t shy about directing teammates.

“I’ll raise my hand a certain way or do a certain hand motion and they’ll pick up on that,” sending a pass, often from assist leader Sophia Cox, to her feet or over-the-top. “I just start running.

“Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up,” Carter tells herself as she races to the ball.

While dribbling, Carter accesses the situation.

“I look up and see my space. How much can I dribble? Can I go through defenders — or just pass it out to the wings?”

As the focal point of the BHS offense, Carter is in turn the focal point of the opposition defense. During a game against Moriarty, under normal physical play, Carter fell to the pitch three times in the first 15 minutes.

“I’ve always been one of the tiniest on the field, so getting knocked down doesn’t really bother me,” she said.

Gonzales believes Carter can relieve some of that attention she gets by broadening her game, improving her passing skills.

“That will actually open up space for her. If the team is better, they can’t just focus on her,” Gonzales stresses.

Giving Carter more rest during games would also be a benefit, according to Gonzales. “I can’t pull her out more than five minutes and she’s begging already to get back in — she never stops.”