Can a goalkeeper (or “goalie”) score a goal in soccer?

Yes. A goalkeeper can score a goal on the opposing team at any time during the match as long as the ball is played with the feet. However, a goal will not count if the goalkeeper either throws or punches the ball into the opponent’s goal directly. (In the unlikely event that a goalkeeper manages to hurl the ball such a distance, it must make contact with another player first before it enters the opponent’s goal to count.) During the waning moments of a match, goalkeepers often move forward to support their team during an attack, and some have kicked the ball in directly or have helped to set up another player who heads the ball into the goal.