When Rolando Ambriz is on a soccer field, it doesn’t matter who he’s facing. In his mind, his territory is marked and there is no trespassing.

This season Ambriz was the Murray County Indians’ senior keeper, a position he’s held for three years. He earned some playing time as a freshman because he’s got a lot of the tools you’d look for in a successful keeper: superior athlete, lighting quick reflexes and remarkable leaping ability.

But most importantly, he’s calm in the heat of battle.

“I’m never nervous,” said Ambriz, whose athleticism earned him the nickname “Spider-Man” as a freshman. “When I’m in the box, and I know (the opponent) is going to take a shot, I concentrate on where the ball is going and wait for the guy’s feet to take off. And I’m ready for it.”

In 2009, Ambriz was more than ready. In 16 games, he gave up only eight goals and his 97 saves led to eight shutouts.

Ambriz anchored an experienced Murray County defense that featured returning starters at every position in 2009, and all of them started together for three seasons.

The Indians won the North sub-region of Region 7-4A with a 12-1-2 record before surprisingly losing in the first round of the region tournament.

Nonetheless, Ambriz’s season-long performance is one that left Indians coach Randy Baggett shaking his head in amazement.

“He was the key to our success,” Baggett said. “Basically, we knew with the defense and him behind it, that we’d be in every game.”

For Ambriz’s efforts, he is The Daily Citizen’s 2009 All-Area Player of the Year.

Of the 11 players named to this year’s team, six were unanimous selections, including Ambriz’s teammate Jesus Perez, Dalton’s Angel Arellano and Jose Acevedo, Northwest Whitfield’s Geovanni Villa and Joseph Torres, and Southeast’s Adrian Avalos.

The remaining players on the squad are Murray’s Michael Lopez and Rafael Pacheco, Dalton’s Jose Rangel and Southeast’s Fernando Villasenor.