Early last fall, the Washington men’s soccer team took a trip to New Mexico anticipating a challenge against the 28th-ranked Lobos, but just one hour into the game, the Huskies were presented with an entirely unexpected challenge.

Forward Kevin Forrest, then senior and member of the Seattle Sounders, had just lit up the scoreboard giving Washington a one-nil lead early in the second half by swiftly putting a header into the right side of the net for a goal.

Less than one minute following Forrest’s goal, New Mexico attempted one of its own, but the shot was saved by junior goalkeeper Rylan Hawkins.

In saving the shot, however, Hawkins made a dive that he couldn’t get up from quickly and suffered a serious facial injury after colliding with a New Mexico forward. The forward walked away with a yellow card and Hawkins had to leave the game with a broken nose and a chipped tooth, unable to play for the duration of the season.

Filling in for Hawkins in the goal that night was sophomore Stephen Fung, who was able to successfully preserve the shutout. He started the remainder of the season, including the two matches Washington played in the NCAA tournament.

This year, both Hawkins and Fung are healthy and ready to defend the net. Their performances prior to this season have demonstrated that they are both fit for the job, making for a difficult decision in choosing the starting goalkeeper.

Although they both possess a commanding presence between the posts, Hawkins and Fung couldn’t be more different off the pitch.

“I know I’m different,” Fung said. “The only reason I would want to play is if I knew I could be doing a better job ... and when I’m watching the Hawk play, he’s grabbing crosses out of the moon ... so I’d rather sit on the bench and win.”

Fung’s laid-back attitude stems from having growing up playing soccer in Hawaii.

“The team I played for started me out as a forward and I sucked at it,” said Fung. “I wasn’t really athletic ... [and] I was a clumsy kid so I got stuck at goal.”

He might not have fully realized his potential as a goalkeeper at first, since he began tending the net at only eight years of age, but he has developed into one of the team’s greatest assets today.

“Stephen’s very strong at shot stopping as well as his play along the line,” said Washington coach Dean Wurzberger, “So we’re very confident.”

Although Fung would be a solid option for the Huskies, with Hawkins — who has proved that he can do the job — fully recovered from his injury, Washington isn’t ready to give the job away that easily.

“Rylan is a co-captain,” said Wurzberger. “And has tremendous presence coming off the injury,”

It seems as if Hawkins is starting back right where he left off last season, with the only difference being the protective mask he now puts on before every game.

“I’m back 100 percent,” said Hawkins.

Being back fully is not only evident on the field for Hawkins, but also in the classroom, where he is as motivated as anyone. Not only does he earn good grades and intend on double majoring in computer engineering and business, but he is involved in a number of startup companies as well.

“One of the companies I’m a part of advertises social responsibility online,” Hawkins said. “And also builds nonprofit campaign pages where users can donate money to the campaign that they choose,”

He is also a part of a project that is working on making registration for classes easier for students.

As for Fung, he’s just taking things one step at a time and focusing on what’s at hand.

“My goal is to just get a diploma,” he said.

This mentality translates onto the field. Fung said he’s just focusing on getting wins for the team.

“Winning is all I care about, he said. “That’s really why I play soccer. I just like to win.”

Even though it’s evident the thoughts crossing Fung and Hawkins’ minds are different, virtually all the time, the vigorous workout routine they go through together ensures they are as well prepared as they can be to get the win.

“We start with footwork and hands,” said Hawkins. “Then we move into a lot of short movements with cutting and work our way into dives.”

This might not seem terribly difficult to the average onlooker, but the goalkeepers know just how precisely they have to do their job.

“Diving and getting back up is like a sprint,” said Hawkins.

According to Hawkins, the workouts the goalies do separately from the team gives them time to work on all the aspects of goaltending.

“We work on little things like how we catch the ball,” he said. “Most people never think about how you catch a ball and what your body shape looks like when you catch it. It’s a lot more difficult than it seems.”

Luckily for Washington, the choice between the two players is never a bad one.

“They’re kind of different in their strengths, but they’re both reliable,” said Wurzberger. “You can win with both.”

Reach reporter Sheena Nguyen at sports@dailyuw.com.