Vardar SC U17 goalkeeper Anna Sieloff is easy enough to remember because you're more likely to see her smiling then not. She's a player who likes to keep it positive.

"Of course I have my moments when I'm frustrated, but the fact is I'm happy when I'm playing," the Detroit-area standout said. "I remember the reason I'm playing and even if I'm not playing to my best, I'm still lucky enough to be out here with my teammates, competing, working hard and at the end of the day you just want to have fun, so that's what I try to do."

Don't let the smile make you think Sieloff isn't intensely interested in winning and getting better. In fact, she uses her upbeat personality to try and help the team do just that.

"What I try to do is keep making a positive impact," she said. "When the team is struggling, if they are down a goal, instead of getting down I want them to win that ball, sprint that sprint and just be there. I let them know I believe in them and not to give up."

Anna plays on Demir Muftari's Vardar squad, with talented teammates such as Niki Read, Kayla Mannino and Megan Siebert. She's been in the U15 and U16 National Team squads with goalkeepers like Emily Oliver, Makenna Henry and Nichole Downing.

Anna's mom Kate recalls that one of Anna's first experiences as a goalie came when her older brothers were playing hockey. They were only willing to let the girl play if it was in goal, so that's what she did. Similarly, at in rec soccer when nobody else wanted to play in goal, Anna stepped up and began to find that she liked it.

"The coach had everybody take their turn," is how Anna recalls it. "Instead of ducking away I just went at the forward and tried to stop the shot. Our coach said ‘I think we found our goalkeeper.' Since then I've been thrown in there. I guess I was just this crazy, courageous girl."

Anna still manages to find some time playing in the field, as a midfielder for her Detroit Country Day High School team and sometimes as a forward for her club team.
"She does that every chance she gets, but it's harder and harder to find the chances as she gets older," Kate said. "She just always feels she can be a better goalkeeper if she understands what players are going through. She's pretty crazy when she gets out on the field."

It's as a goalkeeper that Anna has been attracting a lot of attention from colleges. The 2010 graduate is looking far and wide, noting that the chance to keep developing as a player for future national team consideration, and the chance to win a national championship are two of her major considerations in deciding.

"I'd like to make the decision sometime this year," she said. " I'm just looking at a few more schools and making sure I'm not overlooking anything."

She credits former Women's National Team GK Tracy Ducar and her Dynasty Goalkeeping camp as having made a big difference in her play.

"Tracy Ducar has helped me get to the next level," Anna said. "She's had me focus on technique, polish things and get the details right. All the work on the small things has helped me with the big picture"

Club coaches Muftari and Ralph Torre work with Anna during the season.

"Demir is really great to incorporate drills in training to include me so I can work on crosses and shot-stopping," she said. "I can also call Ralph and he'll help me get some extra reps, plus I train with the high school and Vardar boys' teams.

Anna says her communication and being a part of the defense (including playing with her feet) are strong parts of her game. She listed command of the area on set pieces (particularly in traffic) as a main area on which she's working to improve.

The improvement has been continual and it helps cement her status as one of the best of the 2010 graduating class – and she even does it with a smile.