Conventional isn’t a four letter word, but for Christen Westphal, it might as well be.
If you tried to put her into a mold, she wouldn’t fit.
Even if she could, she wouldn’t want to.
In three years at the University of Florida, Christen has become the rock of the Gator backline, the most reliable defender in a star-studded defense that makes it difficult for even the most talented players to get time on the field.
But Christen rarely comes off the field – even when games are well in hand – not only because of her defensive prowess, but also because of her impact on the offense.
Even though she plays as a central defender, Christen plays a point guard-like role, distributing the ball to her teammates to start offensive attacks. She is also given freedom to roam forward, sometimes getting as far as the opposing team’s penalty box in open play.
The skill and confidence required to play such a multi-faceted position usually comes from playing the same role for an entire career.
But for Christen, it’s quite the opposite.
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Growing up in Brecksville, Ohio, she picked up basketball from her father, David Westphal – a former collegiate player at Washington and Jefferson College – and dabbled in many different sports. But Christen said "soccer was always the one that kinda just stuck."
She grew up with the game, kicking a ball around as early as 4-years-old from what her father remembers. But Christen doesn’t remember a time without it. Soccer just was.
She played the sport year-round, despite the dead, frozen winter fields that made playing outside virtually impossible for much of the year. She used indoor facilities to play when she could during those months, but more often than not, she would simply practice by herself in her family’s basement – there are still holes in the wall to prove it.
Although she possessed natural athleticism, Christen wasn’t a natural when she first touched a soccer ball, but her unspoken dedication to get better is what her father says made her such a good player.
"I always call her my quiet assassin," David said. "She tells you what she’s gonna do once, and then she goes about doing it, never tells you again and then all of a sudden you look up and what she wanted to accomplish she’s accomplished."
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By the time Christen got to high school, it was time to look up.
Athleticism had turned to skill; repetition to instinct; awareness to action.
She lived and breathed the game of soccer. The talent which had blossomed from her efforts was now second to none.
So much so that her coaches had difficulty deciding which position she should play.
Christen was good at everything.
"I swear I played every position," Christen said.
And she came close.
Her high school coach used her primarily in the center midfield, a position from which she scored 14 goals in her final two seasons while helping Walsh Jesuit High to the 2010 Division I state title in her junior year.
But her club coach, Zdravko Popovic, played her as a "sweeper," an old-school defensive position that acts as the final barrier before the goalkeeper. And in games where the team was trailing, he would put Christen in at forward to give the offense a boost.
Many players might resist the idea of playing so many positions, but Christen embraced the challenge, realizing the more she could do, the better she would be.
Her versatility and attitude – along with her talent – caught the eye of Florida head coach Becky Burleigh, who said she knew Christen would be a unique player from the beginning of the recruiting process.
"I think it’s really unusual to find a defender that has as much sophistication offensively as she does," Burleigh said.
Christen immediately fell in love with UF and committed as a central defender shortly after her visit. She came into her freshman year halfheartedly hoping to start, but not truly expecting it.
But after coming off the bench in the first game of the season, her skill on and off the ball was too much to ignore. She started the next four games, and after an injury sidelined star defender Kat Williamson for two months, her position in the starting lineup was cemented for the rest of the season.
She’s started every game in her career since.
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Even after a successful freshman campaign in which she was named to the SEC second team and SEC freshman team, Christen knew she couldn’t be satisfied with what she had accomplished.
That following summer, she spent her vacation at home in Ohio working on her game with Popovic, her former club coach.
"I think after her first year, she found out that there was a need to do even more," Popovic said. "The result of it was she was committed to do whatever it takes. She was here on a daily basis training at six o’clock in the morning … I think that type of commitment and determination is an integral part of her success today."
Although that commitment has led to much of her success, Christen believes she wouldn’t be where she is today had she not played so many positions and been stretched as a player in so many ways throughout her career.
She attributes her on-ball defensive skills to having played offense for so many years.
"I think it helps that I know (the offensive player’s) mentality, when they’re trying to attack," she said, "so it’s kinda easy to be one step ahead, kinda knowing where they wanna go with the ball."
And now that she’s a leader on the team, she can also use her experience to help her teammates.
"I kinda know the general ‘where they should be and how it should look,’" she said. "As a freshman, I was really hesitant to say things ‘cause I didn’t wanna say the wrong thing, but now I know the formation and everything, I feel comfortable leading people and telling them where to go."
Despite the amount of time Christen has spent playing as both a forward and midfielder in her career, she said she doesn’t miss playing up front. She likes her role in the offense as is.
However, she said she would be ready to step up and play a more offensive position if the team needed her to do so. Burleigh had Christen play forward in the spring to give her more experience with the ball.
But her heart belongs to the defensive side of the game.
She relishes the opportunity to shut down a cocky forward with a no-nonsense tackle.
And although being a star center-back is a dream come true for Christen, it’s a dream she never imagined while playing forward as a young teenager in Ohio – a dream she wouldn’t have believed even if you told her.
"No, not at all," she said. "If you had told me that, I would have been – obviously super happy – but I would have never pictured myself like that."
Who would have? It goes against all conventional wisdom.
But then again, Christen Westphal doesn’t do conventional.
Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @Graham_Hack24
Christen Westphal dribbles the ball during Florida's 2-1 win against Georgia on Sept. 26 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
