By Pete Borello

Lindsey Parodi is proof that height isn’t everything when it comes to playing goalkeeper.

The Los Altos resident, all 5-foot-5 of her, has been selected to the Olympic Development Program’s state under-15 girls soccer team.

And making the team was a tall order.

Just 170 players throughout California were invited to Morgan Hill the first two weekends in March for tryouts. Only 40 made the cut.

Parodi is one of four goalies on the ODP team, which will split into two squads by the summer to play in tournaments all over the West Coast.

Parodi is the shortest goalie of the bunch. In fact, she looked up to every keeper that tried out, including a few 6-footers.

But the Los Altos High freshman showed the ODP coaches that there’s a lot more to goalkeeping than being able to slap the crossbar.

“People tell me I have good instincts and quickness,” Parodi said. “I think being short is kind of an advantage to me - I can move better than the bigger girls, I’m better on the ground and there’s always room for me to work in the air.”

Skip Parodi, Lindsey’s father, said his daughter also possesses another trait that helps her play the position

“She’s fearless,” he said. “She’ll do whatever it takes - throw her body, go head first - to stop the ball.”

Lindsey admits that’s one of her favorite parts of the game.

“You have to sacrifice your body and I think it’s really fun; I don’t have a problem with it,” she said. “I’m pretty strong and I’m not afraid to throw it out there.”

Parodi has been stopping shots since her days playing AYSO.

Parodi said she took up soccer at age 5 and was moved from the field to goal when she was 7 or 8.

A year later, Parodi joined the more competitive CYSA, which she is still a part of. Parodi is on the ‘87 Roadrunners, a Class I team for under-14 girls.

Two other players on the Roadrunners made the ODP under-14 state team: Dawn Maxey, a freshman at Mountain View High, and Tori Tyler, an eighth-grader at Blach Junior High.

Parodi, who played on the Los Altos High varsity team over the winter, said the Roadrunners keep her busy with practices twice a week and tournaments almost every weekend.

Not that she’s complaining.

“I love playing soccer,” she said. “It’s like my life.”

When Parodi isn’t on the soccer field, she can often be found working out at the gym in an effort to improve her strength, conditioning and vertical jump.

Parodi said this isn’t the time to take a break because she knows a strong performance on the state team this summer could lead to a spot on the regional team.

“It would be awesome to make it and I’m going to try my best,” she said. “If I don’t make it, I’ll try again next year and I’ll keep trying until I make it.”