For a large portion of this season, Paulo Pita found himself on the bench for the Charleston men's soccer team, awaiting his opportunity to show what he can do.
Of course, it was hard to know when exactly that would come. The Golden Eagles still had senior Fabian Veit, the school's all-time leader in shutouts, between the posts.
But Pita was patient, aware that he just needed to keep waiting until he got the chance to show what he could do.
"I had been excited for this year for a long time because I wasn't eligible in my freshman year," Pita said. "I knew my chance would come eventually. I just had to wait until I got the word from [UC coach Chris Grassie] that I was going to get in.
"Once I got an opportunity, I just had to take it with full power and give it everything I had."
Just a few days after UC lost its second game of the season, a 1-0 decision to Urbana, Pita got the nod for his first start in a non-conference game against Salem International. He made a pair of saves to pick up his first clean sheet.
Since then, the Golden Eagles (18-2-2) haven't lost, taking an unbeaten streak of 10 games into a 4 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1, national semifinal showdown against Rockhurst (18-2-3) at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.
"He's made some fantastic stops since he's come in," Grassie said. "Paulo just has a big presence about him and he reacts so well. He finds ways to get to just about anything."
The 6-foot-2 sophomore from Sao Paulo, Brazil, has stepped in and continued to provide a great presence on the back line from Charleston.
He's come through with big saves time and time again, but none bigger than the one he made on Adelphi's first attempt of the penalty shootout during the national quarterfinals. It helped give UC the advantage it needed to reach the semifinals for the third year in a row.
"He is the kind of guy who wants to be in that spot where he gets to make the big save," Grassie said. "It's funny, I was probably more confident than any coach who has ever gone into PKs the other day because I feel like he's the best PK shot-stopper in the country and I know we have as many as eight guys who are money from the spot as well."
It helps that UC has a strong defense in front of Pita since he's taken over in goal.
In the 10 games he's played in, Pita has only had to face 79 shots, with just 36 of those being on frame.
Working with players like all-region performers Bruno Oliveira and Jake Young has made life easier and made the transition from watching on the sidelines to playing much simpler for Pita.
They said that despite a new keeper being back behind them, things didn't need to change much with what they were doing.
"I love playing with those guys, they make me so much better because of the things they do," Pita said. "They are really good players and they help me figure out things I can do better and I help them with the things I see. It's been a good relationship."
Now they're preparing to try to get over the hump after falling short the last two seasons.
For Pita and the defense, they won't be changing much of what they've done. They have seen what this group can be at its best. Now they just have to continue to push for that same level of play as they get closer to their ultimate goal of bringing home a championship.
"This is the main reason I chose to come and play here. I knew what this program had done and what our goals were," Pita said. "When we play our best and we play together, we can play so well and beat anyone in the country. That's what we need to push for as we keep going."