Richard Hunter Gilstrap, Jr. (born April 17, 1983 in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

) is an American retired

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player. He played professionally in the Us and Africa. He most recently served as the goalkeeping coach for

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

club

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

, who he played with for six years. He is the son of Rick Gilstrap, and Kiki Kirkland Gilstrap, and married to Kelly Gilstrap.

Career

Youth and amateur

Gilstrap grew up in Lexington, South Carolina, attended Lexington High School, played club soccer for the NECSA (now South Carolina United FC) Galaxy, and played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

and at the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

, where he registered a 1.16 goals allowed average (GAA) and 4 shutouts during his senior season. During his college years Gilstrap also played with the

Greenville Lions Greenville Lions were an American soccer team that played in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) D3 Pro League (later known as the ''USL Second Division'') and operated an amateur team, Greenville Lions Premier, in the Premier Development League ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

Professional

Gilstrap was drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2006 USL-1 draft by

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

, and spent the season playing in the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

, making five first team appearances and playing in international friendlies against teams from Spain, Brazil and Guatemala. He transferred to the expansion

Cleveland City Stars The Cleveland City Stars were an American professional soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2009. The club fo ...

in 2007, and immediately became a fan-favorite, appearing in 20 regular season games in 2 seasons with the team, and helping them to the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

championship in 2008. After spending the 2008-09 USL offseason playing in the South African

Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

with

Maritzburg United Maritzburg United is a South African football club based in the city of Pietermaritzburg that currently plays in the Premier Soccer League. Honours *First Division Coastal Stream champions: 2007–08 *First Division Championship Play-offs: 2 ...

, Gilstrap re-signed with Cleveland for a third season on April 22, 2009. Gilstrap captained the Stars in their first

campaign in 2009. Despite their last place finish, Gilstrap finished among the top 7 goalkeepers in the league in 4 statistical categories, including saves and shutouts. He was also awarded the Stars' Community Leadership Player of the Year Award for his work with the club and community during the season. Gilstrap played the 2010 season with the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

of the

. The team finished in 3rd place after losing to the Richmond Kickers in the semifinals of the USL-2 Playoffs. Gilstrap won the 2010 USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year Award and was voted First Team All-league for his efforts during the campaign. On February 9, 2011, Gilstrap signed a two-year contract extension with Pittsburgh. On 18 February 2013, Gilstrap signed another 2-year extension to play through with the Riverhounds through the 2014

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

season. On January 8, 2015, Gilstrap signed with the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games a ...

for the 2015 season. Gilstrap returned to Pittsburgh on January 7, 2016.

References

External links

InfoSport 2006 Pro Soccer Combine profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilstrap, Hunter Living people 1983 births Sportspeople from Asheville, North Carolina American men's soccer players Soccer players from North Carolina American expatriate men's soccer players Clemson Tigers men's soccer players Charleston Cougars men's soccer players Cleveland City Stars players Men's association football goalkeepers Greenville Lions players Maritzburg United F.C. players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (2006–2016) players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players North Carolina FC players Charlotte Independence players USL First Division players USL Second Division players USL League Two players USL Championship players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Soccer players from South Carolina People from Lexington, South Carolina