Chat Reel: LaKeysia Beene

Beene missed part of the Rays' win over the Freedom due to a collision in the 56th minute. Jeff Gross/Allsport

WUSA.com Host: Welcome to today's WUSA chat with LaKeysia Beene. Welcome LaKeysia!
LaKeysia Beene: Hi everyone. Thanks for logging on.

Susan from Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Hey LaKeysia!! What is your favorite place to spend the holidays?
LaKeysia Beene: I like warm tropical climates so I love Hawaii.

From Corinne: Hello Keysia, How are you doing after that nasty landing yesterday?
LaKeysia Beene: I'm doing all right. I have a bit of a bump on my head. The doctors are keeping an eye on me until tomorrow but I'm feeling great.

From Kari from Merrimack, N.H.: I saw the game against Washington on July 22nd. I also saw that nasty crash you had. How did it feel to come out for the first time?
LaKeysia Beene: It was such a weird feeling. I think it was nerve-wracking and hard watching. I don't know if my nerves can take it on the sideline.

From soccerisfun: Did you enjoy the big crowd yesterday?
LaKeysia Beene: I enjoyed them before and after I got hurt. I think we have the best fans in the league. They're awesome. Just to see everyone out there supporting us is great. I know Mia draws a large crowd but they are definitely out there supporting us.

From Sasha from Pennington, N.J.: Do you have any pets? Are you going to get any? And who is your favorite music group?
LaKeysia Beene: No pets. I don't plan on getting any since my apartment building won't let me. Dogs are cool though. If I were going to get one, I'd get a German Sheppard. I love Dave Matthews Band and Destiny's Child.

From Becky from Neenah, Wisc.: What is it like playing with Brandi Chastain?
LaKeysia Beene: She has been one of the players that I have looked up to ever since I was young. It's good to play with someone who has so much emotion and desire to play. It's a joy to be around her and feed off of all of the positive energy she has.

From nott18: What college did you go to?
LaKeysia Beene: I went to the University of Notre Dame.

From Linda Beene from Fair Oaks, Calif.: How long does it take to microwave a baked potato? A. 6-8 minutes, B. 20-30 minutes.
LaKeysia Beene: Just because someone blew up a potato in the microwave once... I was home all alone and I had to make dinner and my baked potato blew up. There was smoke everywhere. I still don't know how long it takes. I think the answer is B.

From soccer_crazy: This is a little off the topic of soccer, but how about a fun question. What is your favorite ice cream?
LaKeysia Beene: Definitely chocolate chip. A lot of people like mint chocolate chip but I've gotta keep it real with regular chocolate chip.

From Corkie1478: Who are you closest to on the CyberRays?
LaKeysia Beene: It's a really close team. I can call anyone and have a good time. But I'm closest with Kelly Lindsey because we went to Notre Dame together.

From soccerisfun: Have you always wanted to be a goalie? Or did you try for other positions first?
LaKeysia Beene: I started out at age 9 as a center/midfielder. I switched to goalkeeper when I was 11 because the starting goalkeeper went on vacation. When she came back I took her spot.

From No1CyberRaysFan: What was your most embarrassing moment on the soccer field ever?
LaKeysia Beene: It was back when you could throw it to the keeper and pick it up. I ran over to get throw in and pick it up but I had big hoops in my shoelaces and I tripped on them when I went to go pick it up and I fell flat on my face. Luckily no one scored off of that. It was pretty embarrassing. Everyone was laughing.

From Emily from Dover, Pa.: Who had the hardest shot you've stopped so far this season?
LaKeysia Beene: Hardest shot... As far as power goes Shannon MacMillan has the hardest shot in the league. She can really get a hold of one. Monica Gerardo's goal was the hardest one for me to save. It was just a really well placed shot. I couldn't get a finger on the ball.

From Kate in N.J.: If you had to eat the same food every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
LaKeysia Beene: The same food everyday...That's a tough question because I love food. I would have to say cereal -- more specifically Cap'n Crunch. That's my favorite. I could eat that all day.

From Molly from Louisville: Hey! You are such an awesome goalie! I admire you so much. I want to know how you psych yourself up before a game, because I am always so nervous about letting my team down if they score on me. Share the wealth! :)
LaKeysia Beene: Thanks a lot. I don't do much psyching up. I listen to good music. I focus on mental imagery. I picture myself making saves before I get into the game. I never picture myself getting scored on. That way I feel successful before I get into the game so I'm less nervous.

From Nick from New Haven, Conn.: How do you deal with all of the fame and attention that comes with being one of the premier players in the WUSA? Do you still have time to relax and visit with your friends?
LaKeysia Beene: It's definitely weird signing autographs and getting the attention that I never used to get. It does become time consuming doing appearances but fortunately my friends are around and I get time to relax and hang out.

From nott18: Who would you least want to have a clear breakaway on you?
LaKeysia Beene: It would probably be Pretinha. The Brazilians are so tricky. You never know what they're going to do with the ball. If you lean one way then she'll just place it on the other side. Or if you try to stand up and wait for the shot, then she'll do a move to try to throw me off balance.

From cyberfan01: I saw you play yesterday against the Washington Freedom. You were great! It was too bad you got injured, though. How did you get injured and what did you injure? How long will it be before you can play again?
LaKeysia Beene: Thanks. I was coming up for a cross. I went up with Pretinha and she ducked so I flipped over her and landed on my neck and head. I blacked out for a bit so they took me off the field for caution. I guess I will know tomorrow whether I will be able to play on Wednesday but so far it looks good.

Becky in Olympia, Wash.: What/who in particular do you attribute to the recent success of your near-impenetrable defense?
LaKeysia Beene: A couple of factors go into that. One is that we have our set lineup now. Our first 6 games we didn't have the same lineup in any of the games. Now we have Brandi [Chastain] in the back so it's a huge help because of her leadership ability and great skill. And we have acquired Dianne Alagich from the Australian national team and she came in and did a great job right away. She impacted us immediately.

From DJ from Canton, Ohio: The way you are playing would say to many that you are one of the best goalkeepers in the WUSA, is your goal to be on the next national team?
LaKeysia Beene: That's where everyone wants to play. Playing in the World Cup and bringing one home for my country would be great. I'd definitely love to play for the national team. This league is great because it's giving people who haven't really been seen by the national team coaches to show what they have.

From Kate in N.J.: Do you have any phobias (like of bugs or heights)?
LaKeysia Beene: Actually I'm a bit afraid of heights. I get shaky when I'm up high.

From giggleZ: Did you make sure that Tisha shared the candy she got on Saturday with the rest of the team?
LaKeysia Beene: I don't think Tisha did share her candy. I think she's hording it all for herself.

From Amelia from San Francisco: What do you yell at the other players when the ball is close?
LaKeysia Beene: I usually tell my defenders when to close and put pressure on the ball and when to drop off so we can organize around the play. And I tell them when to clear the ball out of danger.

From No1CyberRaysFan: My daughter wants to know... who is your favorite character from Winnie-the-Pooh?
LaKeysia Beene: Definitely Tigger. He's an overactive, bouncy, hyper character. He's awesome.

From cyberfan01: When did you start playing soccer? Did your parents sign you up or did you decide that was what you wanted to do?
LaKeysia Beene: I think I got kind of a late start compared to most of my teammates. I started when I was 9 and I started because my friends were signing up so I got one of the flyers and told my mom to sign me up and that's how it all began.

WUSA.com Host: That's all the time we have today. Thanks for spending some time with us.
LaKeysia Beene: Thank you for having me. Definitely a lot of fun.