How Marvin Ridge’s goalie has led its girls’ soccer team to national prominence
In youth soccer, few embrace the role of goalkeeper.
After all, most who play the sport at that age enjoy running up and down the field and not guarding one end of the field. For Marvin Ridge girls’ soccer star Molly Estes, having her father as her youth coach led her to the position at first.
But now her talent at the position has made her one of the state’s best.
“I’ve been playing keeper since my dad (Chuck) was my coach,” Estes said. “He put me in the goal because nobody else wanted to be in the goal. But in the ninth grade that I fully committed to being a keeper.”
Her decision has been very beneficial to the Marvin Ridge program as Estes has helped the Mavericks to regional, state and national prominence. the Mavericks, reigning N.C. 4A state champions, are 5-1-4 and ranked No. 18 in the MaxPreps national poll. Estes has allowed three goals in eight games against a high-level schedule.
“Molly sets the tone for our entire team,” Mavericks coach Jenna Borrelli said. “Every year in the preseason, we do an endurance fitness test and she comes in first every year. I’m so proud of her on so many levels. Set aside how great she is as a soccer player, she’s also just an outstanding teenager.
“I can’t say enough good things about her.”
Statistically, her numbers are unrivaled. Estes has yielded only five goals in 37 career matches that includes a 16-match scoreless streak to close out last season when she and Marvin Ridge won the school’s second girls’ soccer state title — and first since 2010.
In a meeting national No. 9 Providence Day last week, Estes had nine saves on 19 Providence Day shots. The visiting Chargers took the game’s first seven shots — converting one — as Marvin Ridge (and Estes) suffered some rare hardship.
“They scored one goal,” Estes said. “It’s part of the game and sometimes things are out of your control. I feel like we really bounced back and had lots of chances and just kept working.”
Estes, one of three team captains, and the Mavericks certainly have high goals as they pursue the first back-to-back 4A titles since Raleigh’s Leesville Road won the 2008 and 2009 championships.
“There’s definitely a lot of momentum from winning a state championship coming into this season,” Estes said. “But that’s not our only goal. We want to build and get stronger as a team all year long.
“So we’re not thinking about a two-peat as much as we want to build a realty good connection with this team. We’re focused on the next game and not necessarily the end of the season.”
Whenever Marvin Ridge’s season does end, Estes will be moving on to Anderson (S.C.) University of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference.
“There were definitely other finalists for me but Anderson checked all the boxes,” Estes said. “It’s a smaller school, a Christian school, good competition and it’s pretty close to home.”
